Pharaoh's Guardian
by Aerith Queen of Cetra
Summary: .:AtemuxYugi, side SetoxJou!:. After being saved from a sandstorm, Atemu and his followers are forced to stay at a mysterious, hidden village until the storm passes. But what happens when a certain violet eyed teen catches Atemu's eye?
1. Lost Travellers

Aerith's back! And this time she has a new fic with her! Another shonen ai ficcie, if you don't like shonen ai (boyxboy) then leave now.

**Disclaimer**: If I owned YuGiOh, Yami and Yugi would be making out every two minutes, Anzu would put a sock in it and Kaiba would be singing YMCA...has it happened yet? No, didn't think so -.-

_These are thoughts_

"This is speaking"

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**Chapter 1: Lost Travellers**

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_The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one's own country as a foreign land."  
-- G. K. Chesterton_

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Sand, as far as the eye could see. An entire ocean of golden grains flowing majestically under a gleaming sun.

Tanned, dusky bronze hands reached up to block the sunlight from the person's face, beads of sweat being wiped away by the other hand.

Staring across the way at this companions, he noticed that they were in the same condition.

The four guards that accompanied him stood beside two sleek, white horses. The High Priest Seto rode on one of the horses, the heat bothered him, which was obvious due to the thin beads rolling down his tanned skin, but he still kept his graceful demeanor.

The Pharaoh sighed as he once again futiley wiped away the thin sheet of sweat laying across his forehead.

They had been travelling from Qaria for many days, yet they still had at least another 5 or 6 days left to travel.

"The Peace Treaty with Qaria went will, don't you agree Seto?" Pharaoh Atemu spoke , trying desperately to break the intense silence that accompanied them through their travel.

The said High Priest merely grunted in agreement which caused Atemu to sigh in annoyance.

The silence was slowly eating away at him and they still had several days left before they reached the palace.

Pulling a small container from his satchel, he placed it to his lips and drank down a small amount of the crystalline water within it, sighing in appreciation as he trailed the back of his hand across his mouth.

Cobalt blue eyes rolled heavenward as Seto shook his head and stared ahead, but soon stopped in his tracks.

The rest caught on as they halted ther movements also to check the problem.

"What is it Seto?" Atemu asked as he stared across towards the distressed brunette in confusion, that is until he followed the direction of Seto's gaze.

A small drift of sand and dust began carrying into the air, acting like a dancer who twisted and twirled in the midst of a wave of water. It quickly changed and melted together violently as the now aggressive movements became more wild and frenzied, lifting the world around in it's path towards the group.

"A sandstorm," he whispered to himself as his horse cried out and swayed slightly, "We have to find shelter!"

"And where would that be Atemu, there's nothing but sand out here and that storm is approaching to quickly to avoid," Seto stated as he attempted in vain to control his horse, who was trotting backwards in fear.

Atemu growled as he pulled the reins on his own horse as the creature began to panic and twist around.

"Seto, what about Shadow Magic?" The scarlet eyed youth suggested.

"No good, it's coming too fast, we don't have enough time," Seto pointed out as he gritted his teeth in worry.

The Pharaoh winced turning his gaze back to face the oncoming storm. _Curses! There must be some way out of this, but what?_

_

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_  
Small, cat like ears twitched curiously as if sensing danger nearby, their owner eye's widening in shock.

The same young teen, who was currently gathering water at the moonflow, (1) quickly dropped the pale and darted off through the village, ignoring the confused looks anyone gave him along the way.

Running through to the largest house in the village, he rushed through the doors and manouvered his way to a single room in the back of the house.

"Honorable Elder! Honorable Elder!" A young, worried voice called out.

The said Elder, swirled around to face one of his favourite charges with a patient smile, though it skillfully disguised a worried frown.

"I know my boy, I know, I felt it too. The Winds of Ekuna have picked up early this year and it seems that a few lost travellers are caught in it."

"Then we must help them, they might get hurt in the winds," The teen stated in concern shaking his arms for emphasis.

"Alas, my boy, we cannot do anything, you know the rules, it would endanger us to leave Haruna," the elder replied sadly, turning away signalling the end of the argument, but the boy wouldn't listen.

"But Elder, we must do something, they could be seriously hurt or..." he left off, unwilling to finish the sentence.

"I'm sorry, but we cannot, it is for the good of the village, I understand how you must feel, but that's how it must be."

"Would you like it if it were I out there in the Ekuna winds, Great Elder?" He fought back, continuing when he failed to hear a response.

"How would you feel if one of us was out in those winds, fighting for survival?" Again he received no response.

"We could help them, bring them to the village until they are well and the winds ease down then we could perform a Minusha charm on them!"

"Hmm... I suppose but..."

"Please Elder?" The elder didn't even need to look at the boy to know that he was using his infamous puppy dog eyes, but all the same he turned around and was caught up in the sparkling gaze.

"Alright, we'll help," He decided with a sigh, cursing himself for once again falling against the adorable youth's tactics.

The cat like teen could've danced with joy, but decided not to push his luck as he ran outside to seek help.

"The Minusha Charm isn't what worries me, my boy..." The Elder said to himself after the teen left, "It's what it leaves behind that worries me..."

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The Pharaoh and his companions weren't faring well against the storm, once calm golden sand and dust swept around them violently as the young winds of the storm fanned out.

"What're we...going...to do Your Highness?" One of the guards asked through gritted teeth.

Atemu shook his head as he brought his arms over his face, gritting his teeth as he fought against the wind.

The storm was getting worse as time passed on, the group, though managing to hold on impressively, were slowly falling to the pressure sent their way.

Soon the winds would grow so ferocious that the sand and dust would blind and choke them all.

A sudden wave of dizziness overcame the Pharaoh as he swayed back and forth on his horse, and apparently it was contagious as his comapanions began swaying also.

One by one, each of the guards fell and soon, so did the High Priest, after he gave Atemu a look of seldom seen concern.

The Pharaoh was holding on for as long as he could, until his movements became so violent he tumbled off of his frantic horse.

In the distance, he faintly heard the confused and terrified cries of both horses as they galloped away from the storm, abandoning the group in the desert wasteland.

Atemu's ears suddenly perked up as the sounds of unfamiliar voices filled them, soft footsteps and hushed whispers heard barely in the deafening storm.

His scarlet eyes rolled upwards to see a blurry figure hover over him, but he could barely see the person through his unfocused gaze.

A gasp reached his ears as well as a sweet, angelic voice before darkness claimed him...

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(1) Moonflow: A name taken from the river banks between Djose Temple and Guadosalam in Final Fantasy X, but has a different purpose in the fic.

So, how was it? Was it good? Bad? Salvagable? Or totally hopeless? Please tell me in a review!


	2. Showdown of Shadow

Oh my God! So many reviews! (faints)

Kaiba: (throws a bucket of ice cold water over Aerith)

Aerith: O.O;; (leaps up and glares) ¬.¬ You're gonna pay for that Kaiba...

Kaiba: O.O;; (thinks) I should've just stayed quiet...she's gonna get the egg whisk now...

Aerith: ¬.¬ (thinks) eggwhiskeggwhiskeggwhiskeggwhisk... disclaimer! I don't own YGO!

Reviews:

Thanks to **Dark Mage of Sea, Hikari Skysong, PyrrhicVictories, Zoe, kkwyDragonflame, MysticMaiden 18, Miriku-Yami's Queen of the Nile-Yami no Hikari, jemu, ME, YamiHaruko, FireieGurl, Atemu Yugi Lover34, silverwolf407, fangirl41561564, JinzoeX, S'Star, Shadow Sorceress, frogger666, ac-the-brain-supreme, DreamCherry66, AngelKelley17 **and** Yana5 **for their reviews!

Personal Review Responses:

(For those with direct questions in their reviews)  


_Hikari Skysong: _Ahh! You reviewed my fic! (faints) ...(wakes up again) Okay then, yes it is, sorry about the spelling I couldn't remember how to spell it XD

_PyrrhicVictories:_ Ah yes, that's helpful! I'll do that, thanks for the suggestion:D

_kkwyDragonflame: _O.o Oh...Um, I mightn't do more because I got a review about not to do too many so it doesn't wreck it but ...uh... well, we'll see XD  
_  
YamiHaruko: _ So that WASN'T a bribe? . Damn! XD I know, yeah he should do that but Seto is an arrogant (yet lovable) git, so he would be bold enough to refer to his cousin as "Atemu" instead of "Pharaoh" in my mind because he is just so gosh dern...CUTE! (glomps Kaiba)

Kaiba: O.o How'd that happen!

_DreamCherry66:_ O.O NOOOOOOOOO! NOT MY BELOVED PLOTBUNNIES! T.T WHY DID YOU HAVE TO SIC AURON'S BABY FLAN ON THEM! T.T Oh well! XD Your review made me laugh so much! It was awesome! XD Thanks so much!

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Chapter 2: Showdown of Shadow  
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_You may be deceived if you trust too much, but you will live in torment if you do not trust enough  
-- Frank Crane

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_  
"Ugh..."

_Hey! It moved!_

**Oh wow! It did! Looks strange, don't it?**

"..."

_No it doesn't! It looks quite...  
_**  
Quite what? Oh wait a minute, I see now, heh heh...**

_W-what? What is it? And stop grinning!_

**I knew it! You do! It's so obvious that you do!  
**

"He does what?"

Startled gasps filled his ears as well as loud shuffling from the two conversers.

By the time his two scarlet eyes fluttered open he could only manage to catch the swift flick of a long white tail fleeing out through the door.

The Pharaoh blinked in confusion as he held the side of his head. "Wow, that must be a big cat..." he muttered to himself, still staring at the open doorway blankly.

Sighing, he shook his head and stared at his surroundings. He lay in a small, simply designed room. The walls, strangely enough, were a calm blue that set a strange sense of tranquility deep within his being.(1)

A few carvings were set around the door frame that were so intricate that not even he could translate them. There was very little furniture in the room, only a chest at the back and around a fire pit in the center of the room were several comfortable mats, one of which the Pharaoh rested upon.

Atemu also noticed with amusement, that beside him Seto was asleep on another mat, curled up tightly under the thin blanket with his hand lying beside his head on the pillow. (A/N: Kaiba: O.O; What the... Me: Heh heh...REVENGE!)

_'He looks so vulnerable like this...' _Atemu thought staring at Seto in intrigue.

A grin stretched across his face as he crawled over to his High Priest.

Stretching out a single, slender, bronze finger he lightly trailed it up and down Seto's bare arm, his grin widening at the small noises coming from the brunet's mouth._'So he _is _ticklish!' _Chuckling, he pulled away and poked him in a particular spot in his side causing Seto's nose to crunch up and his body squirm from the touch.

Stretching over, the younger teen placed his face mere inches from the others as two sapphire orbs opened lazily, coming into focus on rather large rubies.

"GAH!" Seto yelled, leaping up and hitting his back off of the wall in surprise.

That was all the Pharaoh could take as he fell back on the ground, holding his sides in laughter.

"That wasn't funny _Pharaoh_!" Seto hissed through gritted teeth, resisting the urge to grab the Sennen Rod and hit his 'mighty' ruler over the head with it.

By the time the two calmed down they suddenly became aware of soft laughter coming from the direction of the doorway.

Both turned their heads to the still open door to see two figures pulling back at the last second, footsteps echoing into the distance.

Curiousity got the better of the two Egyptians as both Atemu and Seto darted off after them, down the long and winding corridor and out of the house, but upon reaching the open world again, they both froze in their tracks.

"What in the name of Ra is this place?"

Those few, softly spoken words caught the attention of everyone around, as terrified gasps echoed around the two travellers, but the hushed whispers wasn't what intrigued them, it was the people themselves.

Each and every 'person' in the village were animals, well, partially. They were merged with some type of animal, every creature in existence even a number that Atemu and Seto had never seen before.

A few of the younger ones in the villages gathered around the two of them in curiousity, to which the older one's cried out in dismay and fear.

A small fox like boy poked the Pharaoh's sandled feet, whilst a young girl sharing the resemblence of a yellow bird fluttered around Seto, tugging the annoyed High Priest's ears gently.

The children chuckled in awe but, presumibly it was their parents that ran towards them and quickly plucked them away from the strange men, staring at them with scared expressions that held hidden sparks of disgust and loathing.

"I see you've woken my friends, welcome to Haruna," a warm, friendly voice spoke from within the crowd.

As the crowd parted, there revealled the speaker, a man with greying brown hair flying wildly down his back and calm silver eyes. The noticable aspects about him though were the two curved ears poking from the top of his hair, the sharp fangs shining within his smiling mouth and the large clawed hands fastened securely around a large wooden staff.

"I am the elder of this village, they call me Tau (2)," the man resembling a lion stated, bowing his head as the whispers around grew more frantic.

"The elder, huh? So tell us, what is this place _Tau_?" Seto demanded brusquely, narrowing his eyes at the kind old man.

"What is it? It is quite simply, exactly what it seems, High Priest." The elder replied calmly, smiling sweetly towards the brunet.

Atemu almost face-vaulted at that comment,_ 'This guy sounds like Isis...'_

Tau smiled at the Pharaoh's expression, "Haruna is a place of solitude, my Pharaoh."

Atemu's scarlet eyes narrowed upon twin silver orbs, as if telling the owner to clarify.

"Have you ever noticed... that sometimes a person is harassed or abused because of their abilities or what they look like?" Tau asked softly, to which Atemu nodded mutely, not noticing Seto's downward expression at this.

The brunet gave a gentle sigh and turned his guilt filled gaze into a cold glare as he noticed Tau's eyes upon him.

Shaking his head, Tau continued, "During my time on this planet, I have seen the hardships thrown at those with different gifts than regular people. I was fortunate enough to be able to hide my gifts, but for some more than others, it wasnt possible." At that point he turned his gaze to the girl from earlier who was 'harassing' Seto.

Her arms had two glorious golden wings extending from them, her entire body was a stunning yellow apart from her orange hair and eyes. It was quite easy to see that she couldn't hide her "gift."

"Some people saw us as god-sends, others as threats to the kingdom, and eventually the people of this world began to rebuke and hate us all so much that a number of wise men from generations past had to take these people away from civilisation to create a new home, free from the harsh realities of this world. Spells were even set up to prevent the outside world from discovering us."

Atemu's eyes widened considerably, "Do you mean that sandstorm..."

The lion like elder nodded, "Part of a spell, there is a barrier protecting this village but for a period of time it does weaken and during that time the spirits of our ancestors return from the afterlife and create the Ekuna winds to protect us whilst the barrier once again gains strength, it is vital for the village to remain safe."

The Pharaoh's eyebrow arched at this as he crossed his arms over his chest, "If it's so vital, then why tell us? Wouldn't we be a threat if we knew this?"

For a moment, he could've sworn he seen a sharp glint in Tau's eye, but like a flash of light it was gone as soon as it came. "Well, since you'll be staying here until the winds die, I thought you might as well know this."

"What! And how long will that take, oh great elder?" Seto snapped, his voice thick with sarcasm.

Tau ignored this and muttered, "No more than one week, oh mighty High Priest..."

Ignoring the returned sarcasm, Seto, along with Atemu, stared at Tau blankly, who in returned sighed at them, "When Ra passes from this world for a sixth time, then you may leave!" (3)

The two nodded in understanding as Tau turned around and walked towards the crowd, the tapping of his staff being the only noise throughout the area. Turning his head to the side, he eyed the two suspiciously through the corner of his eye," You know it's strange, I never thought anyone would find us at this precise moment in time, much less the Pharaoh."

Seto smirked at the comment, "It's not a great honor you know, Atemu is only a senseless child."

The scarlet eyed teen growled at this, "Watch your tongue Seto or you may end up losing it."

The children nearby giggled as the two glared at eachother, not understanding the true force behind their words.

Even the adults seemed to surpress their laughter but none of them knew the reason behind the two outsiders sudden desire to grab their two sennen items as the eye of horus glowed upon the rod and puzzle.

No one seen any hilarity in their actions anymore as a sudden black fog swept around their feet, rising to twist and squirm around the two stranger's lithe forms.

The children screamed in terror and tried to run, but were frozen in their spots and couldn't escape just like everyone else.

The Elder gritted his teeth and snarled at the two, though he was unsure how to stop the powerful duo.

In one of the nearby homes, two teens watched the display in fear and awe, the older of the two hovering protectively over the younger.

The younger teen stared out at them in fear which quickly shifted to determination as he rushed out of the door, "Stop it! Please stop what you're doing!"

The frantic yet familiar voice tore right through Atemu's being as he gasped and let the dark world around him disappear, the sinister glow in his scarlet eyes faded away as he twisted his head around to face the one who shouted at him.

"Yugi! Stay back!" Tau shouted at the teen who stood defiantly in front of them, not letting his fear shine through his being.

"Yugi...?" Atemu whispered, in an almost hiss under his breath, ready to lash out at the one who dared to stop him.

But when glorious violet eyes met those of the Pharaoh's scarlet orbs, the world around them fell apart and time came to a standstill...

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(1) The color blue is used in several places and promotes feelings of protection and healing.

(2) Tau – An Egyptian name meaning, "Lion"

(3) Amon-Ra was believed to be the sun god and the lord of the universe. So I they tell the time by his (the sun's) passing in the sky and they wouldn't call it a day, but rather Ra's passing. I'm not 100 sure on that one, my egyptology is a bit rusty, so correct me if I'm wrong! -.-

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**Ah! Crap chapter! -.-' Sorry about that guys but I've been kinda busy with coursework, I'll update sooner now because it'll be finished this week!**

**I Promise, anyway, please review!**


	3. Innocent Inquiries

Sorry for not updating in ages, I've been a bit under the weather lately T.T

No excuse really but hey! That's life for ye!

Disclaimer: Don't bother, me no own, simple as that!

Reviews:

Thanks to

**YamiHaruko, (Yeah, but they do seem like brothers anyway, just brothers that argue every two minutes lol! XD)**

**Dark Mage of Sea, (Crazy Yugi? Hmmm... Short Answer: Yes, Longer Answer: HELL YES! XD)**

**Masami Mistress of Fire, (ME WHAT! What did I do! O.O Oh update...yesh! . )**

**Bakura-star-Ryou-cutie, (Ah...whoops XD Send the homophobes, I'll charbroil every one of them in back BBQ and feed them to the dogs . )**

**Miriku-Yami's Queen of the Nile-Yami no Hikari, (O.o He...um...doesn't, now yet, well now he does but uh...never mind -.-' )**

**silverwolf407, (Huh? OH YAY! Thanks! XD)**

**Yami kkwy, (Yesh... (Pokes Yami) He has a very...violent temper shall we say? .' )**

**DaakuKitsune, (XD Ha ha! Calm down!...AND UPDATE YOUR FICS! THEY'RE AWESOME! YAY FOR YOUR REVIEWNESS! (GLOMP!) )**

**Atemu-girl, (Ah, shall do! . )**

**Atemu Yugi Lover34, (Ah perhaps he really is a big softy after all! (Seto walks in, punches Aerith in the eye and leaves) -.# I had that coming...)**

**ME, (Hurray! XD)**

**AngelKelley17, (Thanking you!)**

**DarkNileStallion, (Aye, indeed I shall!)**

**cat, (Really? Thanks so much! I'm so happy **

**jemu, (O.o hee hee... (Pushes Seto towards you) Have fun! (Runs off))**

For their reviews!

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**Chapter 3: Innocent Inquiries  
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_You know you are in love  
when you see the world in their eyes,  
and their eyes everywhere in the world._

_-- David Levesque_

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The Shadow Games….

A main base of typical Egyptian life. Of course there was fear for those who would partake in these dangerous challenges, there would also be an element of excitement that elevated the two contenders to fight to their best.

It wasn't uncommon for the two proud and arrogant warriors to engage in a Shadow Game, but then again they would never go as far as to condemn each other to a life within it, that was reserved for wicked criminals who dared defile the Pharaoh's wishes.

It almost seemed like a normal game to them, if one of the other High Priests were present, then they would merely roll their eyes and scold them like children.

Only the closest to them of course could do so without fearing Atemu or Seto's wrath.

But then again, none of them were there. They were in a strange and new place and didn't realise how afraid the people were of the strange and foreign concept of a Shadow Game.

Humans themselves scared the people, without the need for their fears to be confirmed by the sudden darkness that grasped their frozen limbs and stabbed their terrified hearts with cold, black icicles.

Since the confusion, an irritated Tau had directed the two confused Egyptian royals within the hut once again; fortunately the elder had the sense to separate the two into different rooms.

Seto seemed to agree with that, not wanting to be woken up every morning by Atemu's 'tickle alarm'.

Atemu however was bored at the thought of being left alone in this strange place, feeling like a child who was being punished for doing wrong.

The Egyptian King sat cross-legged on the mat on the floor, one hand running along the edges of the Sennen Puzzle tediously and the other drumming on his leg.

Boredom was strange for him outside of the Council Hall in his Palace, he had always something to do, whether it was playing a game of Senet (1) with the trusted magician and High Priest Mahaado or trying to find Mahaado's playful apprentice Mana within the many pots around the palace, he could always find something to do.

But not now he was outside the palace, and besides that, he couldn't even explore the village after the incident earlier.   
**  
**Sighing, Atemu leaned back, hands behind his head, buried within the soft yet wild tresses as his glazed eyes stared at the night sky.

His dull eyes watched as the dazzling deity Seshat shone gloriously through the shadows that encased the sky, Thoth keeping his watchful eye on the playful deity at a silent distance. (2)

It was amazing how a simple masking spell could change a ferocious sandstorm into a clam and peaceful sky, it kept his usually stressed mind at rest from the worries of his kingdom.

Closing his eyes he shifted to his side, "It'll be alright, Isis will surely know about this by now and my advisors can look after my kingdom for another while." (3)

But that wasn't Atemu's main worry, he worried more for what had happened earlier that day or rather, what _nearly _happened, and because of that would-be Shadow Game, the peoples already narrow amount of trust in the outsiders had vanished, replaced now by an even greater hate and fear.

And that boy… Yugi, the one who managed to stop the "game" before it grew out of control, once they broke eye contact "Yugi" had fled in fear before the Pharaoh could take in anything else but those two enchanting jewels he called eyes

Another boy had followed him too, a person who had glistening sun kissed hair and dazzling, delicious honey glazed eyes, but he also had a golden tail and amber coloured ears poking out from his mane.

Seto remained silent during the scene but Atemu soon found that the brunet's eyes were plastered onto the fleeing puppy. (OMG! Big surprise! ¬.¬ )

Letting out another sigh, Atemu cleared his head from all these thoughts, letting sleep claim his weary form though no matter how hard he tried, the imprint of vivid violet eyes wouldn't leave his mind….

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The Moonflow was especially beautiful at night. It was the time most people in love would come to the Moonflow to relax and spend time together. 

The large glistening pearl in the sky flared its light upon the beautiful well, shining its light upon a single person in particular.

He sat cross legged on the edge and stared down at his reflection, watching his snow white and scarlet tipped tail swat playfully around behind him.

His ears twitched curiously but also in annoyance as lithe fingers drummed on his leg, his other hand supporting his chin.

The eyes that glared down at their reflection shone in contemplation, narrowing to near slits as he growled in irritation.  
_  
Should I…or shouldn't I?_ He thought silently.

Stretching back, he ran his fingers through his silky hair with a frustrated cry, before settling down into a nervous pout, ignoring the strange and worried looks the few villagers around gave him.

_Right! That is it! I can't take it anymore!_ And with that thought in mind, he leapt elegantly from the side of the ledge and sprinted off back down the path and into the village.

* * *

There was no noise in Atemu's room at that time, only the sounds of his gentle breathing could be heard. 

From the corner of the room, shining light fell into the room and lit up the Pharaoh's face and his handsome features.

It wasn't until a moment later that a curious head popped up outside the window and two twinkling eyes blinked in puzzlement.

"Hmm…" A pair of hands rested upon the window frame, hoisting the small body upon it and through the window with grace.

The small body crawled silently along the floor and sat beside the Pharaoh's almost motionless form.

His head tilted curiously as he studied the royal figure with intrigue, stretching out his hand he gently tapped Atemu on the shoulder before quickly withdrawing his hand and stepped backwards, much like a kitten would when it stuck its paw in cold water.

He received no response in the action and so he edged closer, but not so much that he would be fully seen since most of his body was already concealed in shadow with only a small part outlined in the moonlight.

His tail flicked in excitement around him, accidentally brushing against Atemu's bare chest.

Not noticing the sudden twitch the Pharaoh made, he moved forward towards the others face taking in Atemu's scent before quickly licking the bronze cheek and nudging him lightly with his nose.

His gaze quickly shifted from the bronzed youth's ravishing facial features to the glinting golden puzzle around his neck.

The eye on the centre of the glistening object outshined the rest, looking at him as if tempting him to touch the forbidden item.

He knew it was wrong, but his cat like curiosity got the better of him as he extended his hand once more to touch it.

He didn't expect the previously warm gaze from the puzzle to turn into a fierce glare as it sent a spark at the offending touching turn, causing him to let out a small cry.

Two equally dangerous ruby eyes snapped open as Atemu grabbed the intruder's arm tightly in his sweaty grasp.

Flipping over, he pulled the intruder from the shadows and in doing so, pulled him on top of him. (Only in fanfictions, ne? O.o)

His scarlet eyes widened when two terrified violet orbs stared up at him.

"You…you're the one who stopped our Shadow Game earlier…the boy… Yugi…"

Yugi gulped as the Pharaoh gasped out his name, he wanted to look away, but his fear held his gaze against Atemu's. His entire form shook in fear, each and every memory of every story ever told to him about the humans by the elders in the village came flooding back to him and he wanted to bolt and rush back to safety but in his mind, he realised the grip on his wrist wasn't going to loosen enough for him to do that.

"I-I'm s-sorry, Great Pharaoh!" he stuttered nervously awaiting the ugly response he was sure he'd receive.

"You're…." Atemu trailed off looking over Yugi's form fully. It intrigued him that this boy had almost he same appearance as him, yet he was so much more beautiful.

Instead of the tanned skin Atemu had, Yugi's was a snow-white colour almost as if he had never even seen Ra's brilliant light. His ebony and ruby hair wasn't as wild and harsh as Atemu's, instead it was soft and sleek like the purest silk, his blond bangs also clung to his face, their golden brilliance rivalling that of even the mystic puzzle.

His thin body was adorned in pure white silk with a purple and gold sash and red ribbons decorated his arms and legs like fine bracelets.

Finally realising that he was in Haruna, he looked, if possible, even closer to see two cat like ears padded down in fear and a long white tail wrapped tightly around his waist.

His soft violet eyes were glued upon his scarlet orbs in fear and his mouth was slightly open revealing two small, fang-like teeth.

"Beautiful…" he whispered under his breath, so caught in this daze he was unconsciously stroking the boys hair which calmed and relaxed Yugi so much, he leaned into the touch.

Small purrs emanated from his throat, which caused Atemu to give a small smile, pleased by the little one's reaction.

Their two sets of eyes were barely open now, half lidded in their dream-like state as the bronze hand that rested on Yugi's head pulled him closer, to the point that their noses brushed off each others teasingly.

As their eyes closed fully and sweet lips were about to touch in a graceful dance, that was when it happened.

"MY PHARAOH!" That did it. As soon as those words were yelled by the intruding guards, who barged through the door, swords at the ready and eyes focused on the one who was 'attacking' their beloved ruler, the so called attacker fell back and scuttled away from Atemu's surprised form.

Backing into the wall, Yugi looked back and forth from Atemu and the fierce some guards quickly, "I-I-I…I'm…I'M SORRY!"

With that he pounced across the room as the guards lunged forward, narrowly missing his form and flying into the wall as Yugi gracefully leapt upon the window frame on all fours.

Atemu disregarded his defenders forms piled against the wall and kept his eyes on Yugi, stretching his hand out as if it could pull the boy back so he could tell him it was alright.

"Wait! Please!" But the violet-eyed teen was too confused and frightened to listen as he darted out of the window and ran on hands and feet through the paths of the village and escaping into the night.

Immediately, the young King ran to catch him before he escaped, but he could only watch sadly as the shadowed figure disappeared into the night.

His frown turned into an angry snarl as he turned to his guards who were only just picking themselves up from their pathetic attempt to capture the elusive cat-boy.

"Since when did I give you permission to barge into my sleeping quarters?" he growled angrily at the nervous guards.

"Our apologies Great Pharaoh, we thought…" One of them began, but trailed off at the look the seething ruler gave him.

"You thought wrong soldier, unless your High Priest Seto is with you, you _never_ enter my quarters uninvited, understand?" (4)

The guard opened his mouth to protest but shrank back as the eye of Horus glared furiously at him from upon Atemu's forehead. He nodded mutely and ordered the rest of the men out of the room, before bowing apologetically to his ruler and backing out of the room.

The scarlet eyed youth sighed and let his anger slip away as he turned his melancholy gaze out of the window as if he could find the violet eyed one by simply willing it, but not even he had that much power.

_Why am I so…depressed at his leaving?_ Shaking his head he lay down on the mat on the floor, staring out of the window for but a moment and imagining Yugi's form perched there before slowly and gracefully leaping away and disappearing.

Sighing, he shut his weary ruby eyes, painfully awaiting Thoth's departure, and Ra's rebirth….

* * *

(1) Senet is a famous and popular game played in Egypt in ancient times, it's like checkers I guess but the instructions I've got are so much more complicated O.o 

(2) The stars in Egyptian mythology were represented by the Goddess of writing, Seshat. Ra is the sun, Thoth is the moon. They are said to be mirror images, for example, the Eye of Ra represents the right eye of the Egyptian Falcon God Horus (which is why it is also known as the eye of Horus) and the left eye, represented the moon and the God Thoth. Horus's left eye was torn out by his brother Seth and was then magically restored by the God of Magic, Thoth. Some stories state that after this restoration, Horus made a gift of the eye to Osiris, which allowed this solar deity to rule the underworld. This story is probably an allusion to the phases of the moon as the eye which is "torn out" every month. (Big piece o' history for you all . )

(3) Isis as in, the Priestess Ishizu who uses her Sennen Tauk to have visions of the future.

(4) Feel the trust between the two? Atemu'll probably only admit that when angry.

* * *

**Ah, so they meet…sort of...Yugi seems very skittish around Atemu, but you can't really blame him after all it would be examining a sleeping lion and it suddenly woke up and suddenly another pack came in to kill you**

**O.o Nice thought…**

**Yeah, and Seto has begun his infatuation with the puppy .**

**And Atemu and Yugi were so close! Damn guards have to interrupt and spoil everything, grr! ¬.¬**

**Well, please review, a lot of history in the chapter .**


	4. These Games We Play

Yay! Another update! XD

Disclaimer: Don't bother, me no own, simple as that!

Reviews:

Thanks to

**Dark Mage of Sea, (**Perhaps……….That's come crazy singing der! And yeah! He's so stubborn! He's a fool! A fool I say! ……. Not really XD

**ac-the-brain-supreme, ( **Yeah! We'll kill them all for what they've done to us! Oh wait……... I made them do that XD

**frogger666, (**Hee hee, yeah! Yugi would make a cute kitty

**DaakuKitsune, (**No! Poor guy doesn't get to molest Yugi no more. T.T So sad… But at least you realise you must update more! (Waggles eyebrows)

**CattyNebula, (**That's great! I'm so glad! Well in my other fic _Tainted Innocence_ there's a cat woman in it! XD

**UsagiLovesDuochan, (**Heh heh…. (Gives you a bandage for your head) Hope you don't have a concussion or anything! And Yugi is a cat so he's very skittish at times, that's why he always runs off! Lol! XD

**Bakura-star-Ryou-cutie, (**AHHH! Wait…….. (Grabs Yugi and places him in front of the Homophobes where he uses "The Eyes.") HAHAHA! NO ONE CAN RESIST THE EYES! NOT EVEN ALL THOSES HOMOPHOBES! Err…………..wait a sec (looks through a mountain of books and pulls out a big gold one) Do you mean the one with the red glass jewelly thingys on it? XD

**Kikyo's Killer, (**Thanking you! And love the name btw Haha! XD

**DarkNileStallion, (**Yay! Your wish has been granted!)

**silverwolf407, (**Rock? Me? I do? ……………YAY! (Glomps!) Thanks so much! Me so happy ;.;

**Go-ruden Kiba, (**Yeah I know, Yugi should have like Black ears but I just don't think he looks right with black ears, I think he's better with white ears they match his skin!

**YamiHaruko, (**Yeah! Everyone loves little kitty Yugi! You didn't see the Seto/Jou thing? It's in the story summary! LOL! XD

**Masami Mistress of Fire, (**Yeah, ALMOST is the word. T.T What am I crying about? Tis my story! I can make them do whatever I want! (Evil laugh)

**Yami kkwy, (**Me too! It would be awesome to be an Egyptologist! I'd like to be an author or a Game Designer though too! XP Hee hee, everyone hates the guards! My plan is working! Muahahaha!…………I have no plan….. O.o;;)

**Atemu Yugi Lover34, (**Yes I know! (Shake fist) Seto's a butt? Do you mean a cigarette butt or what? XD

**ME, (**Ha ha! You had to wait even longer! Again! XD ………..sorry my bad! T.T

**Moondalian, (**O.O ……………. (falls over laughing) Everyone was complaining about how evil the guards were and you're the only one who did anything about it! XD Brilliant! (high fives)

**Yana5, (**Yugi: (comes back) Yeah? Me: O.o Um………

**Loco Lupo, (**Awww, Joey would HAVE to be a puppy! Or else Seto would be mad that he couldn't call him that anymore! XD**)  
  
wingsofobsidia, (**Ah! Many thanks my friend! Here's the update for you!)

**kingleby,** (Ah! Many thanks, I was going for something original! XD )

**Red.Eyes.Black.Dragon.2400,** (I know! Darn them! XP )

**Adhina**, (ASAP, eh? Man! I should've updated quicker then! (sweatdrops) )

**MarikTheInsaneInsomniac,** (Woo! Thanks! Here's your chapter and I love your name btw! XD )

**Niacara1092,** (Wow, big review! Okay, Tau is pronounced like the letter of the Greek Alphabet or like "Ta-ow" if that makes sense to you. Of course yes, Thoth is the God of Writing in Ancient Egypt but he is also God of the Moon and Magic too. Yes, I didn't realise anything about Seshat either until I read through some Egyptology websites and read about her. But no, of course I wouldn't get angry with you! I'm glad you pointed it out! Thanks! XD)

**S'Star**. (Ha ha, yesh yesh. I shall do! )

For their reviews! (Wow, there sure is a lot of them O.O )

And for all you people who were having panic attacks because of it, Seto actually APPEARS in this chapter! SO DON'T DIE ON ME!  
**

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**Chapter 4: These Games We Play  
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_When love's well timed 'tis not a fault of love; the strong, the brave, the virtuous, and the wise, Sink in the soft captivity together._

_- __Joseph Addison__ -  
_**

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Nights within the walls of Haruna were usually so silently fragile that the drop of a pin could shatter it completely. A small gust of wind and light panting sung down the many paths of Haruna but it was so quick and quiet that almost anyone who was aware of the nightlife could've missed them.

Violet eyes skimmed back hastily as their owner ran faster and faster, the long silky ribbons on his arms flaring wildly behind him as he turned onto a street to his left and darted down it on all fours.

Raising his head before the heavens he took deep breaths and fell back against the side of the house he stood before, feeling the muddy bricks rub gently against his back. He raised his shaking hand and knocked loudly on the door before his knees buckled heavily beneath him.

The sounds of footsteps echoed in his twitching ears as the door opened. Yugi's heavy gaze on the ground lifted, as a familiar pair of golden tan arms hoisted his body up.

Yugi gazed into a pair of worried and concerned honey eyes, feeling the owner's arms tighten around him. He blinked lazily and frowned weakly, resting his head on Jou's shoulder.

"I…did something bad…

* * *

Deep cerulean eyes, full of the profound knowledge of the world, wise beyond the years, blinked in confusion. 

"So _that's_ what you meant when you said you did something bad, Atemu?" Those eyes narrowed as irritated bronzed fingers tapped on the small wooden table.

"It wasn't my fault, Seto! I was just sleeping, how was I supposed to know _that_ would happen!"

Rubbing his weary eyes, Seto gave a sigh and growled out, "Let's try this again…"

"You were sleeping in your room…" Atemu nodded.

"One of the villagers, the one who halted our Shadow Game, snuck into your room…" Another nod.

"He tried to take your most prized possession and greatest weapon, the Sennen Puzzle…" An uncertain expression and a slight shrug.

"So you grabbed him, intent on punishing him…" A lazy nod.

"…And ended up fondling him."

Atemu looked at Seto with a stern expression before his eyes softened into a hopeless one. "When you put it _that _way, it sounds like I did something _really_ bad."

A small smile fought to break through Atemu's face at that statement.

"This isn't funny, Pharaoh! You ended up sending three of those guards to the Shadow Realm because of it!" Seto snarled. This time, Seto couldn't refrain from grabbing his Sennen Rod and whacking Atemu on the head with it.

Falling over, Atemu rubbed the small lump on his head carefully, glaring at his High Priest furiously before firing a nearby cushion at him. (1)

Seto scowled but refused to take the bait and instead settled for falling back against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

Atemu lay back against the opposite wall from his seat on the floor. A strange quiet settled between them. There was something unusual about this place that seemed to bring out the worst in the two of them yet, for some reason, he felt strangely content here, like he could just let go of all his worries, stress and fears and it was quite obvious Seto had similar sentiments.

The silence had become unbearable by now though, the added energy this place gave him refused to allow him to sit still. Which then brought a single question into his mind.

"Seto?"

"What is it Pharaoh?" Seto spat in annoyance.

"What happened to you last night?" Atemu's eyebrow raised and he stared at the brunet strangely.

"What, in the name of the gods, are you talking about now?"

"Well…I know how strong you are and I know for sure you should have been there at my side the instant something was wrong. So…what happened to you that you're only here _now_?"

Seto's breath caught in his throat, before he closed his eyes and smirked knowingly.

"I was doing some investigation about the village Pharaoh!" He spat once again, eyes shut in thick contemplation.

Arching his eyebrow at the excuse, Atemu pondered on Seto's form. Crossed arms, closed eyes, calm persona…and yet… a drop of sweat seeped guiltily down his tanned skin.

Atemu gave his own smirk but decided not to venture further into such dangerous territory.

"So…what've you found out Seto?" The Pharaoh inquired, mumbling quietly under his breath some inaudible curse words.

Seto didn't notice. "Well, apparently. What they said about that sandstorm is true. A magical entity resides within it, but as for it being the souls of the dead, I sincerely doubt it. Though…" His eyes narrowed. "Its power is quite strange. Its been throwing off my Sennen Rod's abilities. So, I guess we're stuck here until it dies down."

Sighing and trailing a hand through his spiked and sweat-dampened hair, Atemu fell back against the wall again. "That's just perfect. First we get whipped up in that storm, then some damn villager tries to steal my puzzle and now we're stuck in this village with a group of people who hate me."

Seto shrugged indifferently. "No different than any other place is it then?"

Atemu glared at Seto before lying back on his mat and staring at the ceiling with his smouldering gaze.

He barely registered Seto lie down on the mat beside his with a patient rustle, deciding to stay close to his cousin in the event of another 'attack'.

Atemu's eyes narrowed as his mind wandered back to the events of earlier. Startled cries, frantic whimpers and those terrified… orbs of amethyst

"Hmm…amethyst…" He whispered under his breath before casually sighing and turning over, allowing sleep to claim him once more…

* * *

Blinking lazily, large eyes of the purest and sweetest honey, gazed up at the ceiling tiredly. 

A loud yawn escaped the blonde's lips as he rolled over and absentmindedly scratched behind his ear. He closed his eyes, reopening them again in pure shock as he leapt up from his mat.

"Yuge? Yuge! Where are you?" He called out through the small home. Silence replied.

* * *

A gentle and cheerful hum echoed around the empty waters of the Moonflow. 

It seemed that everyone around here slept longer during the time of the winds, but whether it was from the safe and secure feeling they gathered from the mighty shield or some sort of stranger kind of hibernation, Yugi couldn't tell, but it certainly was refreshing to have a nice peaceful bath without anyone disturbing him.

The Moonflow was a beautiful place it was a huge oasis that the village was centred around. From a huge circular shape, the middle held a large rocky fountain that was used by the entire village for drinking and a ring of rocks around the outer circle was filled with water for bathing.

There was a special area at the back, which was where he was. It was a simple pool surrounded by gloriously carved stone and decorated by the growing wildflowers of the desert. This place, from the birth of the village, had been dubbed as the private bathing area for Haruna's leader.

And Yugi, being the adopted son of the chief, was allowed within this place freely but still, the noise and mischievous laughter still reached him so he savoured being alone like this for as long as it lasted.

Trailing his hand across the surface of the water, he sighed blissfully and gently lowered himself into the water, fully appreciating the somewhat cool shiver that soared through his limbs.

His ears twitched nervously and his tail flicked gently before settling around the boy's waist. Taking in a deep breath, Yugi dived down.

Just as he disappeared underwater, a set of footsteps padded lightly along the dusty ground at the entrance to the special spring.

A pair of perplexed, crimson eyes flicked across the fountain and the bathes as their owner stalked across the wide area.

Walking over to the fountain, Atemu knelt in front of it. He cupped his hands together and poured the stolen water into his mouth, ignoring the few streams that trickled from the corners of his mouth.

Smiling at the pleasant relief and surprising coldness, he pulled his hands back under the water and sloshed some on his warm face and skin.

A loud gasp and splash from behind him startled and shocked the Pharaoh greatly. Atemu, curiosity overflowing, stepped forward and past a long, stone wall, surprise now etching his features as he took in the warm homely feeling of the spring.

It was unusual really, his own bathes back at his palace were much more grand than this but this one had a more…humane touch to it.

Kneeling down beside it, he dipped his wet hand into the pool, sighing at the waters perfect temperature.

A large swirl of water formed in the centre and his eyes widened in horror as a slim, pale body erupted to the surface.

It's him again! Atemu thought, pulling his hand back as if he'd been burnt.

Yugi's ears twitched strangely at the new noise and he turned his head to stare at Atemu, eyes wide as he waded backwards.

"What…what're you doing here!" Yugi demanded, fists clenched in front of his chest with fake bravado.

Atemu kept his hands in front of him in both defences and in an attempt to ease the others panic.

"Take it easy little one. I merely came here for refreshment and I heard a noise, so I decided to investigate. I apologise for scaring you." His calm, baritone voice crooned.

Yugi calmed slightly, backing up and sinking into the water whilst still keeping an untrusting gaze upon Atemu.

"Well…it's alright then…I guess… you really didn't know." He mumbled under his breath.

Atemu gave a small and relieved smile and sat at the edge of the pool, staring at the cat like boy with a surprisingly soft gaze.

The two sat in a comfortable silence for several moments before Yugi's guilty conscience took over.

"I'm…sorry about last night…I didn't mean for it to happen. I guess my curiosity got the better of me." (2)

"It's alright, I was quite shocked though! It's not everyday I get visited like that! It was quite refreshing!" Atemu stated over dramatically. (3) Yugi giggled at him to which the Pharaoh chuckled.

"Your name is Yugi? Right?" He received a nod in reply.

"Hmm…is that a foreign name? I've never heard such a name before."

Blinking strangely, he said, "Yes. I guess so…but then again, Egypt is still quite a foreign land to me. I came from a place far from here. A group of my friends came too so I wasn't alone… at least not always…"

"How did you get here?" Atemu asked, heart clenching at the startled and pained look in the others eyes, fearing that he had asked the wrong question.

The boy merely shook his head. "I'd rather not talk about it if you don't mind."

Atemu nodded, but there was one more question he had to ask. "What does Yugi mean anyway?"

Yugi remained thoughtful for a few moments before replying simply. "Game. Yugi means game."

The crimson eyed ones eyes lit up. "Game? Huh…"

"W-What's wrong?" Yugi asked nervously, inching closer to him and forgetting all about their current situation. (4)

"Oh no! It's really nothing. It's just ironic really."

"What's ironic?" The boy tilted his head in confusion before wading to the edge of the spring to gaze up at the Pharaoh's glistening eyes.

"No no, it's just that…Well, I really like games and I…like you too…"

Crimson rushed through the younger boys face as he shrunk down slightly, his ears padding down slightly in embarrassment.

Realising that perhaps he was overreacting, Yugi quickly mumbled an apology, blushing even more now in further shame.

He stopped though when he heard a sound from above him. Rolling his eyes upwards, he pouted indignantly when he realised that it was Atemu laughing at him.

Yugi's eyes turned to slits in anger, which quickly shut the Pharaoh up. Hissing, the cat like boy wrapped his arms around Atemu's neck and pulled him down into the water.

Rising up after a furious underwater thrashing, Atemu drank in the air greedily, glaring at Yugi who also emerged moments later.

Yugi grinned, holding in the laughter at the soaked Pharaoh, and quickly climbed out of the water, drying and clothing himself with great haste while his companion was distracted.

Atemu turned around, hands still grasped around his throat, to see the boy sitting on one of the rocks and tying the silky ribbons across his arm.

Stepping out, he cringed at the amount of water that clung to him and sloshed across the ground. He shook his hands and rung his violet cloak, suppressing the next wince at the crinkled and expensive robe.

Yugi stood in front of him when he looked up with his hands wringing nervously behind his back. "I'm sorry, my emotions sometimes get the better of me."

Atemu shook his head, frowning at his wet clothing. "No no, it's my fault. I'm the same as you, I just let things get the better of me sometimes."

Frowning in shame, he grabbed Atemu's hand and pulled him towards the village. "Come on. I'll have to get you some proper clothing while those dry."

Nodding, Atemu allowed himself to be dragged away. On the outside he seemed to be irritated at being dragged along like a child, but inside, a small smile was forming…

* * *

**  
(1) PILLOW FIGHT! XD**

**(2) Aha! Curiosity killed the cat! XD (is shot!)**

**(3) Atemu? Over dramatic! (Gasp!) NEVER! XD**

**(4) The fact that he's an outcast villager and that Atemu's the Pharaoh or…the fact that he's naked in a pool with someone watching him. Take your pick! XD**

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Is that a long enough apology chapter guys? (sweatdrops) 

I'm ultra, super, MEGA sorry for the long wait. But you know, exams and what not! I started writing this ages ago and stopped and only returned to it last night so... XP

Yeah, I think this fic has turned into a story of getting your own back, between Seto and Atemu and then Yugi and Atemu! XD

So, enjoy the chapter! Sorry for the mistakes! Me no have a beta reader plus me lazy and all, blah blah blah! REVIEW! XD


	5. Secret Seductions

Yay! Another update! XD

Disclaimer: Don't bother, me no own, simple as that!

Anonymous Review Replies:

Thanks to:

**Nicara:** Oh no! Not at all! I really do appreciate what you said! And uh… no you really didn't get mixed up there! He was acting strange for a reason…(cough) And I'm only on my summer break now so lucky you!

**Mint Leaf:** O.o Finally? LOL! Okay, updates galore!

**Silverwolf407:** XD YAY! (Super-Hyper-Glomps you again) LOL! Oh wait, you passed out! o.o'

**S'Star:** Okays then! Hope you enjoy the new update then!

For their reviews!

And yes, from the majority of the reviews I realise Seto WAS acting a BIT strange! So I hope this chapter clears it up a bit.  
**  
And the following Sponsorship may disturb you:

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**

_This chapter is sponsored by the advertisement for "**Love Life Matters**", the helping hand to all men with erection problems! XD_

_…Okay, I'm really sorry about that!

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_

**Chapter 5: Secret Seductions

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_Love taught him shame; and shame, with love at strife,  
Soon taught the sweet civilities of life._

- John Dryden -

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The sturdy wooden door was pushed back with a loud slam as two boys, only approaching their late teen years, entered the head home of the village of Haruna.

Yugi, the younger of the two, peeked around the main room with wide and curious amethyst eyes. The fear within them faded into relief as he sighed and pulled the second seemingly annoyed male behind him down he main living room and down a small hallway, taking a left into what seemed like his room.

As Yugi ran over to a chest and started rummaging through it, Atemu took this chance to gawk at the room he now stood in.

It was a simple room; a small, sleeping mat lay on the ground with a set of blankets folded neatly at the end of it.

A woven mat lay across the floor with some basic, yet beautiful designs across it and another one hung on the far wall of the room by a string. It seemed to be foreign since it depicted a great animal that he had never seen before and was surrounded by strange lettering and symbols.

The Egyptian king stalked over to it and trailed a hand across the great beasts chest.

"Amazing…" he whispered in awe. Turning his head he stared across the expanse of the room and noticed several different trinkets at the side of the room in a neat collection.

Hurrying over to them, he picked up what seemed like a porcelain doll of a woman in strange clothing, holding a strangely designed umbrella.

As he played with the foreign objects, he failed to notice Yugi creeping up behind him and tap him on the shoulder.

Flinching in surprise he whirled around but calmed once he seen the shocked expression on the others face.

The pharaoh noticed the clothing, gripped tightly in the catlike boy's arms and said his thanks before immediately stripping off his own tunic.

The blushing Yugi swiftly turned around and with his arms behind his back and tail flicking in embarrassment, he turned his attention to the hanging on the wall that the crimson eyed one had been staring at so intently.

Atemu came up from behind him and asked what this creature was.

Yugi giggled, "You've never seen a Bear before?"

Atemu flushed, "O-Of course! What do you take me for?" He shook his head. "No… I meant, what is with its weird colour?"

Yugi smiled, "It's a Polar Bear, so it's naturally white."

"Why's that?"

"Well… I'm not really sure, I think they're native in countries with a lot of snow so I guess they use it to hide or something…"

"Snow? What's that?" Atemu asked in confusion.

Yugi's ears twitched in annoyance at that, his tail flopping uselessly. "Um…well it's…uh… you know, white and it comes from the sky kinda like rain…"

"Then why don't you just call it rain?"

"Because it's snow! It's not rain!"

"But it falls from the sky like rain!"

Yugi hissed in irritation, his previously lifelessly tail swinging into action as he clenched his fists. "Okay! That's enough, point is, it's called _SNOW_! It falls from the sky like rain, but it's _NOT_ rain! Okay?"

The Pharaoh gave an uncharacteristic pout. He didn't like to lose. "Fine…so what happens after this 'snow' falls then?"

"I dunno. It just falls everywhere and the ground is completely covered in it."

"Like sand?"

Yugi eyed him suspiciously. "Yes like sand…"

"Then why don't you call it sand!"

"Because it's WHITE!"

"But so is sand!"

Groaning loudly, Yugi slapped his forehead. _This is gonna take a while…

* * *

_

"Yuge! Yuge! Where are you?" A long, foreign accented voice called through the paths of Haruna.

Everyone in the village knew it was merely Jounouchi Katsuya, a wild, rough and ready male who shared the resemblance of a golden wolf (A/N: Or Golden Labrador! XD)

Some people glared at him for his brazen attitude, some people rolled their eyes at him, some chuckled and some just merely ignored him. Though there was on person who just couldn't do that.

"Yuge! Buddy! Where _are_ you!" Receiving no response, Jou's wagging tail immediately stopped and he fell to the floor in a depressed heap.

"Where did you go Yugi…" A shadow approached him from behind and he immediately sprang back to life.

"Yuge is that-…you…" His honey eyes widened when the bright purple eyes he expected to see were replaced by harsh blue orbs.

Jou recognised them instantly. "You again? What do you want?"

The blue eyes glinted with amusement. "Why? Am I bothering you, mutt?"

Growling, he replied. "Of course you stalker! You've been following me since yesterday!"

"That's when I arrived you idiot, I didn't think I could gain such a reputation in that short time."

"Well you have! And stop calling me idiot or mutt! I'm no idiot!"

"Whatever you say…" Those blue eyes rolled heavenward at the blonds statement.

"Hey! Just because you're this high and mighty High Priest and all back in that big Palace of the Pharaohs! But here! You're just a regular guy in fancy clothes with a bad attitude and a cheap haircut!" (A/N: O.O Go Jou…)Seto gave a low snarl, stretching his arm forward and snatching Jou's wrist in a tight, painful grip. "I could have you executed for that remark, mutt. An insult against _anyone_ from the high family is punishable by death."

Jou winced, but kept his composure against Seto's poison laced words. "High…family?"

Seto gave a dark smirk, "Of course. I am, after all, the Pharaoh's cousin."

The blonds eyes widened, "No way…"

"Yes way. But…" He released Jou from his grasp. "Like you said, I'm not back in the palace so I cannot persecute you."

Jou gave a premature sigh of relief before straightening up as Seto glared at him. "But I can make things for you very difficult during my stay."

The High Priest stepped forward, his prey taking instinctive steps backwards before he found himself suddenly pinned against a wall.

Gazing to his left and right, he gave a foreign curse when he found that he was backed against the side of one of the houses and no one was around to help him.

Seto's smirk widened as he leaned closer and whispered in Jou's ear. "_Very_ difficult. Understand?"

Those softly spoken words sent shivers down the blond's spine and he nodded numbly, eyes clenched shut.

Jou gave a small gulp as he felt the brunet nuzzle his cheek slightly, before pulling away quickly.

"I guess I'll see you around, mutt." Grinning, Seto turned around and stalked away down the street.

Jou blinked and rushed around the side of the house, watching Seto walk off before he fell back against the wall and slid to the ground.  
_  
What the hell just happened?

* * *

_

"Now say it!" A loud voice shouted.

"Snow is white!" A once proud voice strained out.

"And?"

"And snow is neither rain, sand, Popsicles or Belgium."

"Good!" Yugi smiled triumphantly

"So…are you gonna let me up?"

Yugi stared down at his prisoner on the floor and slowly got up off his back. Holding his hand out for Atemu to take.

"Now, are we clear on the whole snow thing?"

Atemu pouted and accepted the hand up. "Crystal."

Yugi giggled as he stared into the Pharaoh's crimson eyes, which were alight with mirth, despite their earlier positions.

It was only when he felt the brief tickle to the back of his hand, did he realise that Atemu was still gripping his hand tightly and rubbing his thumb gently and soothingly along Yugi's knuckles.

Blushing furiously, he then found that he and Atemu was standing dangerously close together.

Atemu on the other hand, couldn't care to be embarrassed about their closeness and instead he used his other hand to wrap around Yugi's upper back and coax him closer.

Yugi clumsily stepped forward and gulped nervously, he wasn't sure where this was going but he wasn't certain if he wanted to know.

The native Egyptian's eyes were hazy and he was continually pulling him closer and massaging his knuckles. From what little information Yugi had gathered from Atemu, he could tell this wasn't his regular, rational self.

"A-Atemu…w-what are you doing?" Blinking cutely, Yugi tilted his head slightly and trembled a little.

"Yugi…I just…need to…" The elder male couldn't pull together a coherent sentence as he tilted his head closer to Yugi's and gently brushed his lips against Yugi's delicate skin, tasting a droplet of sweet that ran down it.

A sudden sensation on his leg caused the Pharaoh to jump back. (A/N: Get your minds out of the gutter! ¬.¬ )

His crimson eyes blinked when he seen that Yugi's tail had wrapped around his leg tightly.

When Yugi had noticed what his unruly tail had done, he quickly unwrapped it and leapt away across the room, holding a hand over his heart to calm it.

Atemu sighed and stared at the ground in shame. _What's wrong with me? Why, in the name of Ra, do I keep doing that!_

Unpleasant and awkward smiles were then exchanged between them, but neither could bring themselves to speak.

* * *

Yep! Sorry about that! Twas a purely "take the piss" chapter on Atemu and Yugi's behalf, but was actually quite serious on Seto and Jou's part and at their ending part… O.o;

But 3/3 people said they liked it O.o;

Gosh, I feel so sorry for poor Jou looking around for Yugi and I think it's so cute that he feels so sad about not finding him.

But poor Atemu, he's so naive! And poor Yugi's gonna die young from stress after all this! XD

Heh heh, well I hope this makes up for the wait! Summertime! Hopefully means more updates for you lot my lovely's! Hee hee!

Don't forget to review!

And if you're off on holiday! For God's sakes take some photos to show me when you get back! XD


	6. Requiem of Envy

Yikes! Sorry guys! I know I promised to update sooner but, well, I'm not gonna make excuses! I was just lazy! XD

I always sat down and said, "Right! Today I'm gonna update!" But I just couldn't be bothered sitting for ages, typing away!

And now I fucked up my ankle so I won't be running around for a little while and I decided to use this time to FINALLY write something! And I made it extra long this time! (though it could've been longer!) Woo! Anyways, on with the show!

Disclaimer: Don't bother, me no own, simple as that!

Anonymous Review Replies:

Thanks to:

**Silverwolf407:** o.o' My glomps aren't THAT scary…are they? Aww man... (GLOOM!) T.T

**1000-Crimson-Tears:** Hey woman! No points for being the 100th reviewer! YOU DON'T TRICK ME! I trick you! Muahahaha! Um… (Cough) Still! Thanks for all of the reviews sweetie! (Hands you your Yugi plushie)

For their reviews!

Oh yeah, and the word, "Qaria" as mentioned in the first chapter (the place that Atemu and Seto were travelling back to the palace from) is Egyptian/Arabic for "Village"

I have a wild imagination, ne? XD

And for those who have forgot:

_  
'These are thoughts'_

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 6: Requiem of Envy

* * *

**

_Jealousy is said to be the offspring of Love. Yet, unless the parent makes haste to strangle the child, the child will not rest till it has poisoned the parent._

- A.W. Hare and J.C. Hare -

* * *

Eyes cut from the purest amethyst, squinted thoughtfully upon vivid eyes carved from the very depths of hell's inferno. 

A pale hand administered delicate strokes of ebony underneath those red eyes in careful patterns and flicks.

Atemu refrained from blinking, instead keeping his eyes focused upon the face of the boy before him. Yugi's nose was scrunched up slightly, his tongue had escaped to the left side of his mouth, pinned down by the boy's pearly teeth.

"And…Done!" Yugi cried successfully, pulling away and beaming in pride. He darted his hand out blindly and managed to pull upwards a mirror designed in the shape of a large ankh.

Atemu pulled his cheek down to carefully judge the condition of his face. Yugi _had_ in fact done a fantastic job with his make up; there wasn't even a single smudge of kohl out of place. The back of his hair had even been re-dyed red with henna in a neater pattern than before, which he found rather refreshing, and his lips also sported a vivid and passionate scarlet colour.

Giving a few trial blinks, he smiled at Yugi and nodded his approval. The cat-like boy sighed in relief and tided away all of the kohl pencils, perfume and oils but frowned slightly as he examined his make-up collection.

"You are very high maintenance, you know!" Yugi teased as he stood up, brushing the dust off of his bare knees and tugging his kilt downwards.

"High maintenance?" This time when Atemu blinked, it wasn't to test out his new eyeliner.

"Yeah! You've nearly completely emptied out my entire supply of…well! Everything! And these were only new before I took them out for you, sheesh!" Yugi sighed, scratching his cheek with a pout.

Atemu narrowed his eyes, "Well, _sorry_! I'm not use to limited supplies of anything, I didn't think that this was all you had."

Clicking his tongue with a small pop, Yugi nodded. "Fine fine, I'll give you that! But now, _you_ have to come down the market with me so we can get some more."

Shuffling over to the chest, Yugi eventually pulled out a coin purse and tied it to his waistband before grabbing Atemu's hand and pulling him out of the house in a flash.

Atemu gasped and his face fell into a firm scowl as he pulled his hand out of Yugi's grasp, causing the boy to look at him with a confused expression.

"Why do you keep grabbing my hand and dragging me around like that? I'm not a child, so why must you persist on doing that?" Atemu hadn't meant for it to sound that venomous, but at least it brought his point across and it was only after he seen the heartbreakingly hurt look on his companions face, did he realise the full impact of his words.

Yugi turned his gaze away, a look of shame reflected in his eyes. His tail, which was formerly swashing giddily around began turning back and forth in guilt, "I didn't mean to make you feel that way, I just-"

Cutting himself off, he turned around and began walking along the dusty path, stopping only when he realised that Atemu hadn't budged since his outburst. "We should get going or all of the good items will be gone."

Nodding in regret, Atemu followed. His foolish pride had once again got the better of him, and, with the uncomfortable silence drifting between them and no attempt at an apology from him, it seemed that it still was getting the better of him.

* * *

A pair of glazed honey eyes glared heavily at the well-groomed man that followed after the cat-boy. 

'_How DARE he! He may be Pharaoh, but I'll still kick his ass for hurting my friend!'_ Just as Jou was about to step forward, a bronzed hand latched onto his shoulder and held it tightly in its grip.

A calm, cool voice cooed in his ear, "And just _where_ do you think you're going, little puppy? Hmm?"

The voice tickled his golden ears and sent shivers down his spine, but he wasn't going to tell _him _that, as he wrenched his shoulder away and faced the High Priest before him. "None of your business, Nancy-boy!"

Seto raised an eyebrow, '_Nancy boy?'_

Jou turned to stomp off and run after the two boys who were quickly escaping his view, only to be stopped when a pair of arms wrapped around his waist.

"What the hell! Hey! Lemme go!" The blond yelled in his thick, foreign accent as he writhed and squirmed in Seto's grasp.

"I cannot allow that, mutt. I am the Pharaoh's High Priest and therefore, his guard! And I will not allow anyone to harm him, not even you, as if you could."

Jou grunted and gave a snort. "Just let me go and watch me try, you goddamn… _molester_!"

"Molester?" Seto took in that word carefully, examining their positions and calculating his course of action. "You want a molester? Then you'll have one."

"Say wha-" Jou's words quickly turned into a yelp as he was flipped around. He had only the briefest moment to grasp the sight of twinkling sea blue eyes before they were shut off and a pair of lips suddenly fell over his own.

It was only a simple touch of lips, nothing more, but that was enough to send a blush soaring across his cheeks and cause his tail to cut furiously back and forth through the air.

Feeling the air fan across the hands he still held around the blonde's waist, Seto smirked inwardly and slid one hand down the rough material Jou called a kilt and tickled his delicate digits across the "mutt's" tanned legs.

Honey eyes widened into an excruciatingly painful stare before Jou took some sense back and used all of his power to push himself away from the High Priest, but that ended up in him falling on his side on the ground with a groan.

Giving small, annoying whimpers, Jou's eyes reopened after the fall and focused on the smirking male before him, two words bleeding into his mind. '_Get away!'_

Gulping in fear, the blond pushed himself off the ground and ran on all fours down the pathway and after the two boys he had seen walk down this path.

'_Must get away… away from that PSYCHO! Yuge! Gotta get to Yuge!'_

His jumbled thoughts managed to process that much as he sped up and dug his fingers into the ground to push forward.

Seto watched with an amused expression as the boy hurried down the road. Shaking his head, he marched after him.

* * *

"Yuge! Yuge! Help!" A frantic and terrified voice rung through his ears as the said boy, and his companion both, turned around in curious surprise. 

A huge blur of brown and gold dove past Atemu and tackled Yugi to the ground, causing Atemu to immediately grab the sides of the Sennen Puzzle that still hung around his neck, the glint in the eye of Horus on the puzzle flickering to life.

He calmed considerably and settled for blinking when he recognised the huge heap that clung onto Yugi.

"Jou? W-what's the matter with you?" Yugi strained out against the considerable weight that had suddenly fallen on his small frame. Noticing this, Jou leapt off of Yugi and waited for him to get to his feet before continuing with a verbal assault.

"Yuge! Yuge! You gotta help me! That guy's completely nuts! Out of his mind! Loopy! He's after me! You have to stop him!"

"Stop who?" Atemu's voice pounded through the irrational sentences that the blond in front of him was spewing.

Twisting around, Jou replied rudely, "Your goddamn Pri-"

The sentence trailed off at that, when he noticed a familiar azure clad High Priest, marching proudly up the path and stopping by the confused Pharaoh's side.

"Hello again, mutt." Giving a small squeak, Jou rapidly sidestepped around Yugi and gripped onto the smaller boys waist, peaking around with angry, yet scared honey eyes.

Scratching his cheek, Atemu turned to his smirking cousin, "Seto, what have you done this time?"

"Nothing that he didn't ask for." Seto chuckled, waggling his eyebrows slightly at Jou, which caused him to shrink back further behind the startled Yugi.

Atemu slapped his forehead lightly at that, muttering an, "Oh dear, NOT again" under his breath.

Yugi looked at his friend with compassionate eyes, his tail wrapping around Jou's neck and caressing it in a soothing manner.

Jou closed his eyes in comfort and he sighed in bliss when Yugi's delicate fingers tangled themselves in his mane and scratched at that wonderful spot behind his ears.

The two Egyptian royals stared in awe at how easily the small cat-like boy could calm his friend down, though both of them couldn't hide the jealous flicker across their eyes.

"You alright now, Jou?" His reply was an absentminded nod. "We're heading down to the market place now, would you like to come down with us? I could buy you something to eat?"

Jou's voice replied dreamily, "Can I get some apples?"

"Sure." Giving Jou a pat on the head, he allowed the blond to gather his senses again and stand up.

"Thanks so much Yuge! You know just what to do to calm me down!" Jou beamed at his friend.

Yugi nodded twice in glee, once to Jou and again at Atemu and Seto. Grabbing Jou's hand, he dragged him down the road with an excited, "Come on".

A speechless Atemu walked after them. Seto soon followed.

* * *

"How about this one Yuge! No no no… This one! No this one! Oh! They all look so good!" 

Yugi giggled as he watched his friend leap around the fruit stand in excitement, grabbing random apples and examining their quality before dismissing them and moving onto the next batch.

Turning back to business, Yugi's eyes drifted carefully across the line of brushes and pencils displayed in the stall before him. His eyes were harsh and criticizing at that moment, something rarely seen on someone like him.

Finally he found a set that held no flaws (to him anyway) and after purchasing them, he took another swift glance towards Jou and found him still trying to pick out a perfect apple, much to the stall owners annoyance.

Muttering a thank you to his seller, he moved away onto the next stall, unaware of the constant and over-protective gaze that was forever sent his way.

The crimson-eyed one was indeed fascinated by this new market, and the wondrous things it held that the markets in his kingdom could only dream of selling.

Instead of a long line of stalls down a street like he was used to on his seldom visits to the marketplace, he was surprised that Haruna's market was actually a huge ring of wooden stalls around the circular clearing at the back of the village, the clearing that one would have to go to in order to get to the fountain of the Moonflow.

The clearing was a literal circle shape with a hollow clay circle in the centre, which was also surrounded by villagers kneeling by mats with even more merchandise.

'_How very strange…'_ He mumbled in his mind as he examined a fine medallion that had a strange cross-embedded on it, with an emerald like jewel on the front of it.

Jou, who had pounced over to him briefly, vouched for the salesman, saying that he was one of the few people who had come over to Egypt from Jou's old home and that the jewellery was native in his country so it wasn't fake or a cheap imitation.

Atemu had just nodded numbly, he wasn't used to shopping in a market anyway so he wasn't really up to date with "forgeries" and such. But this piece had caught his eye and he was sure he would regret not buying it later on, and he wasn't a man who wanted to live with regrets.

Thanking the seller out of obligation rather than choice, Atemu quickly and subtly padded over to Yugi who was busy checking out a jewellery box of sorts with a curious expression.

Deciding to finally end the miserable air between them, he licked his lips and attempted to swallow his pride, "That's a, um… beautiful jewellery box you have there. You should get it."

Surprised by the fact that the Pharaoh was actually talking to him again, Yugi kept his eyes narrowed and focused. After all, he had his pride to.

"It is beautiful but I don't think so." And with that, he quickly slammed the box down on the wooden stall counter, ignoring the frantic cries of the salesman as he stormed off.

Atemu was left to apologise on Yugi's behalf before following the boy again. "Yugi, don't you think that was a bit-"

"Oh look! There's Ryou! Hey Ryou!" Yugi deliberately interrupted, before rushing off to another stall.

Atemu's eye twitched, his fist clenching unconsciously._ 'Calm down Atemu, he's just doing this to get back at you. Don't let it get to you.'_

Clearing his throat, he followed his charge to another stall, surprised to find that Yugi had just leapt across the counter and hugged the salesman, or rather, sales_ boy._

As Yugi pulled back from his embrace, Atemu's teeth grinded together while he stared at the boy behind the counter.

He looked to be around Yugi's age, with soft white hair that flicked out in feathery tufts here and there. He was dressed in a pale blue, although not as rich as Seto's blue attire, it still looked quite rich for a peasant. The animal that this boy, Ryou, took after was quite obvious with his huge floppy white ears and a fluffy ball for a tail.

"I feel like I haven't seen you in ages Ryou! How are you?" The cat-boy's excited voice cried out. Ryou merely smiled.

"I'm fine Yugi. I just got back from my travels across the distant land."

"Distant land?" Atemu's voice abruptly tore through the conversation.

"Yes, Ryou is quite a traveller. He usually goes by boat out of Egypt and to distant countries for items to make his special oils."

Atemu nodded in interest as he studied the various small bottles of oils strewn across the table carefully, each presented in a beautifully designed glass bottle with it's own unique colours. He picked one up that read with a neat label, "Grass Oil".

"That's plain Grass oil you have there. It is used in basic consensio spells." Seeing the baffled look, Ryou rolled his eyes in good nature and explained.

"Consensio spells are used to create a harmonious atmosphere around a person. When you mix these different oils together, the result greatly affects both you're mood and health. Here, let me show you."

With that, Ryou quickly hunched down on the ground and returned to the surface with a stone bowl before snatching the Grass Oil from Atemu's hand and pouring a few drops of the shimmering green liquid into the bowl. His thin fingers tramped across the counter and felt around for another bottle, this one labelled "Ocean Oil" and poured quite a large amount of it into the bowl.

Atemu watched with the eyes of a child as the sparkling blue oil mixed with the green oil in a huge swirl of colours. He had never seen anything as beautiful as the glowing mixture.

The young king was startled when Ryou hovered one hand over the bowl and moved his fingers slightly. A small misty haze lifted from the bowl and surrounded his fingers. The white haired boy then lifted his hand, palm facing upwards, and blew the mist straight forward and around the unsuspecting Atemu.

In response, he gave an extinctive cry but soon, the surprise lifted, and an overwhelming sense of peace and understanding flooded through him. He felt so at one with nature, the animals, the plants, the oceans, all of it. It was like _nothing_ he had _ever_ experienced before.

Letting out a blissful sigh, he stared at the smiling Ryou's face and blinked in astonishment. He faintly heard the amused giggle from Yugi and tried his best to regain some composure.

"Those oils are interesting, I would like to take some back home with me."

"I thought you might, and by the looks of it, it seems you like this combination so I'll wrap up these two oils for you."

The excited Ryou called out, clapping his hands together gleefully and diving down on the ground again, this time coming up with a thin basket with several pieces of thick material in it.

He pulled out two fresh bottles of Grass Oil and Ocean Oil and wrapped them in the material before placing them carefully apart in the basket.

"And since you're a friend of Yugi's, I'll give you this one for free. It's Misty Oil, it works well when combined with either Grass or Ocean oil so it should be easy enough for you to use."

Ryou spoke to Atemu, whilst wrapping up the said bottle of greyish silver oil and placing it beside the other two.

Trading the basket for his pay, Ryou carefully placed the reward in a pouch on the side of his kilt and turned back to Yugi.

"Now Yugi, what can I do for you?"

"Well, I need some Misty Oil myself, and I've run out of Grass Oil and Moon Oil so I need more of those too."

Ryou nodded thoughtfully and carefully wrapped up those bottles and placed them in a separate basket, "I've got a new one today. It's my best Oil yet! And I thought I should save it for when my _most worthy_ customer would drop by!"

Yugi giggled at that, and watched with keen interest as Ryou carefully pulled out a wooden box and set it in front of him. The cat-boy had often seen this box whenever his friend had created a new masterpiece. It was a special gift he had received from his sister, who had given it to him before Ryou left to travel to a hybrid village.

Ryou held it close to his heart and always kept together his best creations with his sister's creation.

Opening the lid, Yugi gasped, his eyes constantly twinkling as they caught a glimpse of a fine vial of pure gold liquid, within which, small sparks of red and pink flashed through.

Atemu, who was beginning to figure out Yugi a bit more, could tell from the twitching ears and the long tail that suddenly froze in the air that the boy was immediately infatuated with the simple vial of uniquely coloured oil.

"This is my newest creation, the Sunrise Oil. I found some new ingredients on my recent travels and have managed to blend them into a perfect oil for an inspirational and energy boosting spell! It would be perfect for the feast tonight, eh Yugi?"

'_Feast?'_ Atemu blinked in confusion as Ryou winked towards Yugi, still holding the bottle of Oil tightly between his thumb and index finger.

Yugi flushed at the combined looks from the two and his eyes narrowed to slits at Ryou, who immediately began sweating and giving an apologetic laugh. Atemu gave another blink and watched his companion roll his eyes and steal the vial from Ryou's fingers, popping open the cork and taking a small sniff of the contents.

"Smells like…dry roses?"

"Correct! See! That's why you're my best customer! It was made from a rare rose I found on my travels, mixed and blended with a few choice ingredients. And no ginger this time."

Yugi went red again at the statement, recalling an unfortunate time when he had tried to help create an oil with Ryou but only ended up inhaling too much ginger, having a sneezing fit and knocking everything around him over.

"I said I was sorry! Why can you never ever let me live that down! It was so embarrassing! But n-never mind that! I can't afford your new oil Ryou! I only have enough with me for the other ones, despite the huge discounts you always give me."

Ryou frowned and placed the vial back in it's box and said to him reassuringly, "Never mind Yugi! Maybe next time."

"Yeah maybe next time. I'll talk to you later Ryou!" Dropping the money on the counter, Yugi grabbed the handle of the basket and hurried off to find Jou.

Atemu, who had remained quiet and merely observed the interaction, now watched Yugi jog off with a sad, sympathetic look.

He turned back to Ryou with now stern eyes. "How much?"

* * *

The cat-like boy frowned and gave a tired sigh when he found Jou arguing with Seto, who had apparently criticised Jou's criticism of his apples. 

"Um…excuse me? High Priest Seto?" Yugi interrupted, keeping his cool as harsh ocean blue eyes were thrown his way. "Well…I noticed you looking at those rings over there and I was wondering if I could help you pick one out."

Seto raised and eyebrow. "I don't need your help to pick out my jewellery. So thanks, but no thanks."

"Hey, come on. Gimme a chance, I know I can help." Noticing the challenging look in the boy's eyes, the High Priest found himself intrigued and smirked his agreement.

Yugi grinned and grabbed Seto's hand, pulling him over to the stall that had caught Seto's attention previously.

Jou gave a relieved sigh and pulled out his winning apple, giving it a quick shine with his kilt. He was just about to take a bite when Atemu caught up to him and stopped him with a question.

"What are Seto and Yugi doing?"

The blond turned to Atemu with a cold expression, having not forgotten what the Pharaoh had done to his young friend.

"Well, the damned Priest was just looking for a ring and Yugi offered to help him pick out a good one. That's all."

Taking a bite out of his apple, Jou's nose scrunched up in distaste. '_Great! Now thanks to him, my apple is ruined!'_

Noticing the tense atmosphere around them, the boy king tried to lift it by continuing the conversation. "That's strange. Normally Seto wouldn't let _anyone_ drag him around like that…"

Throwing the 'poisoned' apple over his shoulder, Jou replied with a quick, "Well, Yugi doesn't just drag around _anybody_."

"What do you mean?"

The blond growled at him and pulled his face straight in front of Atemu's, his honey eyes glinted dangerously. "Yugi only _drags around _people who he consider as friends."

"F-Friends?" Atemu stuttered, suddenly very nervous around a boy who had been, only just a little earlier, cowering in fear behind Yugi from his High Priest and who had also been so friendly around him when Atemu was shopping at a jewellery stall.

"Yeah. Yugi has a weird sense of judgement, he finds the good in someone and if he finds that it runs deep enough, he considers that person a friend. You should've been flattered that he considered you a friend so quickly, he doesn't do that often."

Giving Atemu a few seconds to wallow in guilt and shame, Jou finished off threateningly.

"And if you _ever_ hurt my best friend like that again, Pharaoh or not, I _will_ make you pay."

Atemu narrowed his eyes and nodded slowly, turning his head to the side to find Yugi and Seto returning to them.

Jou's dark expression quickly returned to a pleasant smile. "So how did it go Yuge?"

"Really great! Check it out!" The cat boy grinned and nodded, using both of his hands to pull up Seto's right hand, the one that now brandished a beautiful, fresh set of varying gold rings. "And Seto even bought me one as well!"

With sparkling eyes, Yugi extended his hand and modelled his new silver ring with a clear cut sapphire embedded in the centre.

"You bought him a ring?" An amazed Atemu turned to his cousin who shrugged and gave a knowing smirk. "Well…he said he liked it so I got it for him. You have a problem with that, _Atemu_?"

Crimson eyes flashed again with envy but Atemu quickly chuckled and shrugged it off, following after the two conversing villagers ahead of him.

Seto chuckled and shook his head. "You're just too predictable cousin…"

* * *

Well, another chapter down, ne? Even though it seemed like pretty pointless babble! But look! RYOU! XD 

Why the hell is he in all my fics? O.o;;

Heh! I REALLY like the fact that Jou called Sety-baby a Nancy boy! I hadn't realised what I had wrote until I was onto the next part and then I suddenly went, "What the!" O.O;;

And Atemu is SOOO mean! Shouting at Yugi for no reason at all, well, for some! But not a lot! O.o

Me should thwack him for that! Eh? OR! Have HIM molest YUGI in the next chapter! (SHOCK!)

Hee hee, well! That's it for now, and yeah, I just had a sudden thought that maybe Atemu dyed his hair but then I settled for him only dying the spikes and not the whole blonde thing in! XD

Um, yeah! Reviews please! Reviews make the authoress happy! XD


	7. Dance of Destiny

Quick! Quick! Before I start lazing about again! I'll update!

Disclaimer: Don't bother, me no own, simple as that!

Review:

Thank you for all of your reviews you guys! My props to you! But I'm too tired right now to go through them all! T.T

(I'll reply to them as soon as I can! )

* * *

**Chapter 7: Dance of Destiny

* * *

**

_Right actions in the future are the best apologies for bad actions in the past._

- Tryon Edwards -

* * *

"Alright Jou, I'll see you later!" Yugi's excited voice called out to his best friend as he waved him goodbye. 

Turning to Atemu and Seto, he gave a low bow, "Thank you for coming down to the market with us today. It was kind of you."

As he pulled himself up, a smile plastered on his face, he registered the acknowledging nod from Seto as the High Priest took off down the road, strangely enough, down the same direction as Jou had just walked down.

The cat-like boy blinked in confusion when he noticed Atemu had just remained in his spot, looking at the ground, arms stiff at his sides and head lowered.

Yugi gave a guilty sigh, swallowing his pride and deciding to give Atemu a break. "L-Listen… tonight, there's a feast in celebration of the coming of the spirits."

"Coming of the- Oh yes. The barrier…" Atemu lazily repeated, still keeping his gaze away from Yugi's and upon the sandy ground.

"Yes, well. Since you've graced us with your presence at this time, we were wondering if you would join us…as a guest of honour."

"You were?" The Pharaoh once again echoed, surprised at hearing no sarcasm in the others words.

"Well, yes. Our Elder would have asked you himself, if I hadn't taken you away because of, well, you know... So, will you come?"

His crimson eyes lifted to stare into sincere and pleading amethysts. His irritation ebbed away and a soft look appeared on his face, "Now how can I refuse such a pleasant request."

Yugi blinked in surprise but quickly gave a grateful laugh and bowed to Atemu once again. "Thank you so much, Pharaoh! You have no idea how much this will mean to the village. I must go now and prepare, I'll see you tonight, okay?"

Nodding, the Egyptian King allowed Yugi to disappear behind the door of his house and allowed his smile to fade to a frown. He dove a single bronzed hand into the basket and pulled out a single roll of material that held one of his newly bought possessions.

He rubbed his thumb carefully over the item that the material guarded with a sad stroking pattern. Sighing, Atemu pulled it close to his chest and tightened his grip on it.

_I shouldn't care this much about what I said to a boy I only met recently…but…  
_  
Atemu's eyes lingered on the priceless item in his hand. He closed his eyes in deep thought and nodded to himself.

_…It's only right that I make my peace…_

* * *

Closing the door with a loud and demanding bang, Yugi leaned against it with a hand over his heart and shaking breath. 

He cursed himself for being to eager in trying to befriend _the Pharaoh_, the most powerful man in the country. He was wrong for demeaning him in such a way, but he hadn't meant it.

Shaking his head, and scratching his ears with a soft mewl he walked past the living room and down to his room, immediately allowing tiredness to overcome him.

He dropped down onto his mat with a slightly painful thud and rubbed his eyes. If he were going to attend the feast tonight he would have to take a little catnap now.

Soon after Yugi's eyes drifted shut and his tail stopped it's incessant flicking, soft shuffling could be heard from inside his room.

A small twinkling noise of fine glass touching soft wood hit Yugi's sensitive ears but he merely sighed and rolled to his side.

The person making those noises gave a small chuckle and kneeled down beside the slumbering boy, gently stroking the boys messy hair neatly back from his face.

He suddenly pulled back when he heard distant knocking from the living room and knew immediately that the Elder Tau had returned from wherever he had been.

Giving a distasteful groan, he leapt back and slipped out though the window slot from whence he came, the noises now being so loud that they woke the cat boy up instantly.

Yugi gasped and twisted around in confusion at the new noises, staring out the window at the setting sun. _Oh no… I didn't mean to sleep that long…_

Groaning, he leapt up and crawled over to his chest shocked when he found a small bundle resting atop of it.

"What the-?" Picking it up and staring at the packaging wildly, he was further surprised when he found that it had been resting on a piece of loose paper with neat Egyptian hieroglyphs written across it.

From his studies of the paradisiacal land, he could faintly read the foreign letters.

"With…apologies…" After straining out those words, he gave a knowing sigh._ Did Atemu do this? No…he couldn't have… _

Shaking his head, he dropped the note on the ground and unwrapped the bundle in his hand, his eyes glowing a vibrant gold in reflection.

"The Sunrise Oil…so then it _was_ Atemu…" Giving a large, broad grin, he closed his eyes tightly in mirth and held the vial of gold, reds and pinks close to his chest almost letting it slip through his fingers when someone knocked on his door.

"C-come in?" He called out, forgetting to put away the oil in time.

"Hello Yugi." A dry and wise voice echoed through his ear drums.

"Greetings Elder. I'm sorry for not welcoming you home but I have only just woken from a nap."

"That's fine, that's fine. I was tired coming home myself and I needed a rest too. Is that some new oil?"

Yugi turned a rosy red at that and quickly wrapped the vial up and slipped it carefully into a smaller chest concealed behind his regular storage one. "Why…yes it is! I bought it today off Ryou…"

"Yes, I seen Ryou return from his trip just this morning. But you know I don't like you spending all of your money on those oils, you should be using it on things that really matter."

"But elder, these _do_ matter to me. Please don't pass them off as something as degrading as you'd like to think they are." Yugi retorted angrily, growing insulted at the man's words.

Shaking his head with a deep sigh, Tau placed a large paw on Yugi's small shoulder. "I'm sorry Yugi, I didn't mean for it to come out that way, it's just that, you spend an awful lot of time on these things and it's keeping you from exploring other things as well. I'm not saying you should quit performing these Consensio spells because I know how important they are to you. I'm just saying, that you might want to cut back and give something else a chance, alright?"

Yugi nodded with a sigh, knowing that he had grown a steady obsession for these spells. "Alright Elder. I'll give it a shot."

Giving a whiskery smile, Tau nodded towards him, before his eyes gained a serious look. "Now…we need to talk about more important matters."

The cat boy gulped, ears folded down in fear. He hated when Tau gave him that look…

* * *

Atemu's eyes edged from left to right as he sat on the soft, apple red and lemon yellow blanket, separate plates of exotic fruit, fresh bread and a range of different meats were presented before him. 

Seto busied himself by quietly chewing his bread and staring at the bonfire as Atemu stared around him at the redesigned world.

This place, which hours earlier had been the host to the magnificent marketplace, was now a large ring of warm two-person blankets around a flickering and homely fire.

A perfectly romantic setting. Atemu sighed and took a few mouthfuls of the meal before him, it was quite good but when he found himself comparing it to the meals at his palace, he found it was slightly below par.

He gave a groan, forgetting about his meal and stared around the circle, noticing some familiar faces such as Ryou who was busily chatting with a sandy blonde haired boy, which Atemu thought was quite normal looking until he spotted a chocolate brown tail swishing around behind him.

On the other side he could see Tau sitting in his own personal space simply staring at the flames with a warm and hearty smile on his bearded face.

The Egyptian king assumed that Yugi was sitting with Jou on the blind side of the bonfire, presumably chatting away about more nonsensical things as usual.

_I wonder if he got it…_ His mind mused against his will as he absentmindedly scratched his cheek.

Tau, noticing the Pharaoh's apparent awkwardness, lifted himself up off his seat and shuffled over towards him, leaning close to him until he had Atemu's attention.

"Enjoying yourself, Pharaoh?" He said overly sweetly.

Atemu nodded numbly and Tau's eyebrows lifted. "Good. The entertainment should be coming on soon."

Again, Tau received a nod before he returned to his post, seething slightly at the lack of response.

Atemu hadn't meant to be so rude, but his mind was trapped within his own prison of thoughts and he hadn't realised it. It was only when a large group of strangely dressed people approached the inner circle and stood around the fire that he snapped to attention.

They were dressed in strange tribal clothing, torn animal skins and paint adorned their bodies and masks covered their faces.

From out of nowhere, three different couples, positioned in a perfect triangle around the circle of strangers pulled out drums and stringed instruments and one plucked out a wooden flute.

The drums began playing, spurning the tribal savages to move in unison, half of them swaying forward, half of them moving backward in a dangerous embrace with the heat of the flames.

They moved in an entrancing dance across the startled eyes of their captive audience, bodies falling forward into the solitary world of each victim. The dance moved at such a passionate pace and left the realm around craving for more. A lack of breath and dizzy heads. These flowed through both dancer and watcher alike. It was incredible.

As the dancers moved around the circle, there was a sudden change. The savage dancers froze. The wild music froze. Even the scalding flames seemed to freeze.

And just as suddenly, new dancers arrived to replace the empty spaces around the circle. These were not adorned in those beastly skins; they were dressed in fine silks wrapped simply around each of the bodies. Masks still adorned their bodies, as did the paint but in more curvy patterns than the spiked ones of their predecessors.

They moved around the stalled bodies with a flicker of the veils woven around their wrists and arms with the sound of the flutes and a single harp flowing melodiously around the entire desert. Harmony was created. A sensual and seductively slow speed of limbs lured the helpless creatures around into a state of nirvana. Bliss. It was an incredible spectacle.

The drum roll began.

The savages rose from their statuesque poses and circled around the spinning saints rising with the flames and falling with the embers as they pounced upon their prey.

The light civility of the dance would not be burnt as the hunters continued on and the hunted circled round.

No longer was this a dance. It was life. It was truth. It was destiny. Around and around the chase continued, an expert movement of arms and legs as the beat increased. Faster and faster. Moving around the circling, the lighters praying for help from the outside. The audience merely gasped and remained still as the hunters simultaneously spun their prey around by their veils and into their beastly claws before they slammed each of them down in a domino effect. The hunters stood victorious and the crowd were speechless, a sense of fear delving into their hearts at the sight of those savage creatures standing before the fallen bodies of the white dancers. It didn't occur to them until the 'dead' saints rose and stood beside the hunters that it was just a dance.

An immediate roar of clapping erupted from the circle and also from the darkness around for the splendid show. The group all held their hands around the proud flames and bowed before skipping out and sitting down upon their blankets for some well-deserved refreshment.

From then on, a series of different performances began for many hours. The night ended with calming music played for the villagers and the guests as everyone ventured around to speak to other parties.

Letting out the breath he didn't know he was holding, Atemu shook his head and got to his feet forgetting about the astounded Seto who sat beside him.

Stepping around the circle, he searched around the huge groups of hybrid villagers but it wasn't until the groups opened up and parted did he see Yugi kneeling on one of the blankets and speaking to Ryou who stood in front of him with a huge smile.

Dusting off his clothing and straightening up his appearance, he walked over as calmly and nonchalantly as he could.

Yugi immediately saw him and waved at him, causing the crimson-eyed one to lose his calm composure by waving back in mid-step.

He knelt on the blanket beside the cat-boy as Ryou immediately asked him with a polite and quiet excitement; "Yugi was really great up there earlier wasn't he?"

Blinking in confusion, Atemu responded to Ryou with his eyes. _Yugi was up there?_

"I thought you would've guessed by my clothes and this." Yugi chuckled as he pointed to the mask that hung overly low around his neck and down his chest.

Atemu's dusty blush appeared once again as he mumbled, "Of course I noticed…"

Ryou blinked and laughed before bidding his adieu and walking off to speak with someone else.

The two sat in uncomfortable silence for a while, glaring as they watched the pairs of passing legs go by before they, simultaneously, tried to start a conversation which ended in another awkward pause.

Seeing that Yugi wasn't going to start talking soon enough, Atemu took the chance to put in his two cents. "You were…really great up there…"

Yugi chuckled dryly and held the frowning mask up over his face, tilting his head. "How could you recognise me through this?"

Atemu honestly couldn't. They were all so similar that he didn't even know if the person who started before him, even came back around the circle to him. So he lied. "I just did."

Yugi was sceptical, but he accepted this answer with a small but warm smile as he dropped the mask that fell to rest back on his warm chest with its eternal disapproval. "That's kind of you to say… and it was also kind of you to give me that gift. Thank you for the Sunrise Oil."

"You found out? How- did he tell you?" Atemu pointed over to the oblivious albino rabbit.

Yugi shook his head vibrantly. "No…he didn't need to… I mean… who else would've gotten me it?"

Atemu knew the question wasn't directed at him but all the same, he still shook his head at it. "Well…it was the least I could do… I was for shouting at you… It was foolish of me to get upset over something so small."

"No, you had every right to. It's alright."

For some reason now, the silence seemed bearable. They smiled as they watched the passing people.

"So…why did you choose to dance tonight?" Atemu asked out of the back of his head.

Yugi looked thoughtful for a moment, biting the back of his thumb as he gazed at the sky. "Well…we all have to participate in some way and since I'm a little concerned about my singing and since my instrument playing wasn't as good as my dance ability…well, you know…"

Atemu blinked. Focused on one single statement in the middle of that, he repeated, "You all have to participate in some way…"

"Yep! Ohhh! _You_ don't know what to do!"

Atemu held his panic in but his eyes told all. Yugi's ears padded down in amusement as he patted the Pharaoh's shoulder. "Don't worry. You're a guest here at the moment so you won't have to do anything."

The sigh of relief was let out too soon as Yugi continued. "But! At the next feast, you'll HAVE to do something!"

The panic returned, as did the relieving pats. "Don't worry. I'll help you think of something."

Atemu stared at him before he gave a wide smile as a thank you.

The crowd dissipated back to their seats to listen to a young blonde woman singing but Atemu didn't move. He sat beside the enchanted cat-like boy with a peaceful feeling in his soul.

His bronzed hand moved of its own accord across the soft cherry blanket and ghosted over the paler, smaller hand.

Yugi stared at Atemu in shock at his actions, but the crimson eyes remained focused solely upon the singer.

With a cat-like grin and pleasant swishing of his tail, Yugi accepted this and allowed his hand to be squeezed by Atemu's much larger one.

For a moment…they both forgot their place… the world was a sparkling wonderland…a lullaby was being sung… one that told of love… that sent them further into the realms of a dream…both of their eyes closed… bodies leaning closer to one another… and…

* * *

A grumbling golden wolf massaged his bruised lips as he glared at the 'innocent' looking High Priest that trailed alongside him, who was also inwardly sporting a sadistically pleased grin. 

It was late, the festivities were nearly over and the majority of the villagers had left and were bounding towards their homes and Seto and Jou had taken up the task in finding the two missing tri-colour haired males.

It didn't take long to find them and what a sight it was to see for their sober eyes.

The two were both trapped in a deep sleep. Yugi's head was lying peacefully upon Atemu's shoulder. And Atemu's head, in turn, rested upon Yugi's. Their hands were gently entwined between their two bodies and if their lips would permit them to, they would surely be smiling instead of letting their lips part for breath.

Jou held his sniggers at bay behind his large hand and Seto merely raised an amused eyebrow and released the grin he once hid.

"So… what do we do with these two?" Jou asked, poking both of them lightly, to which he received neither mumble nor flinch.

Seto assessed the situation quickly. The answer was obvious. But that little demon that worked the controls in his mind persuaded him into doing the fun option.

"Isn't it obvious mutt? You grab the kitten, I'll take _his highness_ here."

"Watch it…" Jou seethed out of clenched teeth at the name as he gently lifted Yugi up in his arms, Seto doing the same with Atemu.

They were both surprised when they found that between them, the two slumbering males hands were still tangled.

Jou looked at Seto for an answer to his unspoken question. His reply was a shrug as Seto led him around the empty plates on the blanket so that the two of them were close enough together so that Yugi and Atemu could continue their 'hand holding'.

Jou was still smiling at how cute they looked sleeping but still kept in mind the close proximity that he and Seto shared. Although, with Seto being quiet for once and not doing anything perverted, Jou found the atmosphere rather…nice… and quite refreshing. His tail waved in agreement.

Seto however was quiet for another reason. He stared intently at their hands and found one thing amiss within that seemingly 'cute' act. Atemu's hand was clenched tightly. Yugi's hand wasn't tight at all…

* * *

Sorry for all the mistakes and all but just...Be happy I updated alright! I'm missing doing R.Ed and ICT coursework to do this! And it's 2am! Damnit! My ICT teacher is gonna shoot me… T.T 


	8. An Issue of Pride

Sorry about the wait.

Disclaimer: Don't bother, me no own, simple as that!

Review thanks to (from chapter 6+7):

**Frogger666, The Black Angels Red Rose, Puzzleshipper, silverwolf407, Masami Mistress of Fire, Atemu Yugi Lover34, Moondalian, YamiHaruko, yamiyugi23, CattyNebula, moonflower, Yana5, CosmicEssence, littlekittykat, Maple Isabell, C.B.A, xdragonslayerx** (FYI, LOVE the fact that reviewers are interacting with eachother over this!), **A.YamiYugi, Sanni York, Miriku-'-'-Yami no Hikari, SapphireRhythm, DarkandDaisuke, YGO Cupid, shinigami-lives, Sliferservant **(thanks many many times), **Masami Mistress of Fire again, A.YamiYugi again, kingleby** (twice**), Red.Eyes.Black.Dragon.2400, Spicey Babe, Ryou-la-lune, yamiyugi23 again **(and I might just take you up in that offer if you can help me with Chemistry!), **Maple Isabell again, Gilraen R.Luinwe, CosmicEssence again, silverwolf407 again, YamiHaruko again, Protector of the Pharaoh, Person-san, Atemu Yugi Lover34, Moondalian again, Crystal F. Flowright, Eternal Nightshade, Miriku-'-'-Yami no Hikari again, tati1, Shining Stars Are My Destiny** and **Mjus**.

T.T I'm really, really sorry guys! You have no idea how busy I am these days! I REALLY LOVE all you guys for reviewing honest! But it's so hard to find any time for myself, never mind updating these fics! But it should, hopefully, calm down soon…hopefully… T.T

Also, sorry for the lack of…what's the word? Oh yes, _quality_ in this chapter! xDD

Finally, is anyone up for being my Beta reader for this story? Contact me if you're interested!

* * *

**Chapter 8: An Issue of Pride**

* * *

_There is a paradox in pride: it makes some men ridiculous, but prevents others from becoming so._

-- Charles Caleb Colton

* * *

"_You haven't forgotten what we've discussed have you?"_

_"Of course not, Elder, but-"_

"_No buts. You knew the risk of bringing them here. And you know what must be done when they must leave."_

_"Yes of course, Elder. But please understand that I only want to make the most of this opportunity, is that so very wrong?"_

"…"

* * *

After the consumption of both a variety of food and drinks and great entertainment, it can be expected that one would have a sore head the morning afterwards.

Atemu lay on his makeshift bed in a practically comatose state, his mind trying desperately to reel in his escaping intellect.

He gave a low grumble and lifted his hand to his head, rubbing his sweaty forehead and scratching an aching spot on his neck.

Licking his chapped lips, he kept his eyes closed as he tried to recall all of the events from the previous night.

'_There was… dancing… drinking, yes…but just a _bit_ of _that_…because of the meal… …oh yes! A lot of eating at that feast! And… more dancing… Yugi was dancing…'_

Atemu blinked open his eyes lazily, his face stretching in tired disbelief at the thought of the boy having so much confidence to do such a thing. Lifting his head slightly, he groaned again as another thought entered his mind and so, he fell back against the worn pillow.

'_That's right… he said _I _have to do something at the next feast… I wonder what it'll be… Hmm… Last night was good fun… Yugi was really nice to me… for forgiving me… plus his shoulder was really soft.'_

And just like that. He found himself recalling a blank. '_His _shoulder_ was soft?! Oh yes… I… fell asleep on it…'  
_  
An unconscious blush tickled his bronze cheeks as he thought about it. They had been talking, listening to the singer and then… oh, yes… _he_ was going to kiss _Yugi_… Yugi just fell asleep… and Atemu had followed the example.

That left only one question unanswered; _how_ did he get back to his room?

Narrowing his options down to those that would have the guts to even approach him, lift him from the village centre, place his jewellery and Sennen Puzzle so carefully beside him and then throw him into bed, he finally decided that the criminal was Seto.

"Blasted…High Priest…"

Vaguely, he wondered if Yugi had also been a victim of Seto's, but more than likely, knowing Seto… Yugi would… "Oh…no…"

Rolling his head to one side and opening his eyes, he was met with the exact site he had expected to see.

"Blasted High Priest…" Atemu growled out as he turned his head away from the slumbering Yugi who lay draped across his chest.

With his left eye twitching like a flickering flame, he silently recalled every curse he knew upon Seto's giant head.

Now very much awake, Atemu pondered quickly over the situation, but it didn't take long. It was he. And Yugi. Together in bed. Draped across one another. And, lo and behold, they were in_ Yugi's_ room.

He needed out. _Now_. He slipped one leg carefully from underneath the boy and left it sprawled out to recover before attempting to move his arm. This turned out to be a bad move.

Yugi grumbled at the sudden shaking, digging his nails into Atemu's bare chest before pulling himself directly onto the Pharaoh's body, head neatly tucked under the bronzed chin and tail once again, finding itself wrapped around the jailbird leg.

Atemu groaned at the situation, it was just getting worse and worse and he suddenly found himself snarling out, "Blasted High…Priest…"

He trailed off as a pair of confused amethyst eyes stared straight at him.

* * *

A guilty blond haired male sat outside around a small table outside a long building that half resembled a café, an apple and a cup of strange yellow liquid in front of him and beyond that was the Pharaoh's High Priest who was busily chewing some dates. 

Jou sat awkwardly on the wooden stool, shuffling and wringing his hands here and there instead of taking the small amount of food offered to him by Seto.

Noticing how uncomfortable the other one was, Seto immediately noticed this and asked what was wrong in the nicest way he knew.

"What's got you in a hump, mutt?"

Startled by the question and annoyed at the insult, Jou replied with an incredulous, "Excuse me?"

Seto paused from throwing back another handful of the shrivelled fruit in front of him, "I'm asking you what's the matter. From what I seen yesterday, I thought you loved apples."

"Well…yes I do… it's just that…well…I'm just guilty about what we did to Yugi that's all!"

"Oh that. Never mind about it mutt, it's alright." The brunet replied calmly before taking a sip of his drink, which he couldn't get enough of. It was somewhat… tangy yet it held a sweet aftertaste of honey. It was quite deliciously unique.

"But… what if-"

"It'll be _fine_."

Nodding in futility, Jou lifted his apple and took a culpable bite out of it before allowing the remorse to melt away and chewing the thing rapidly to its core.

Both of them listened out for the expectant scream coming from the direction of Yugi's home.

* * *

That scream never came as the staring match between Atemu and Yugi continued; the Pharaoh completely frozen in place with shame and Yugi, lying across Atemu's body with a neutral expression.

After a few moments, Atemu found his body jumping silently by the sudden yawn of the cat boy in front of him before the aforementioned creature scratched the back of his head and lay back down on Atemu to go to sleep again.

Atemu's expression at the precise moment was priceless; a mix of shock, fear and a great deal of anger, mainly towards his cousin, the 'great_' _High Priest.

To top it off, there was a hint of confusion there too. The Pharaoh had never found himself in that position before so he wasn't sure what to think, much less, what to do. So he did the first thing that came into his mind.

He poked the sleeping boy in the stomach. "Um…Yugi?"

He got no response and ended up poking him harder and shouting at him louder. "Yugi!"

"What is it? I'm trying to sleep here!" The grouchy boy snapped at him.

"Yeah but…you're sleeping on top of me…"

"And?"

The dumbfounded Pharaoh had no idea how to reply to this. So he repeated the sentence. Only to have the question repeated back to him.

"And…um… are you…uh… are you comfortable there?" Atemu spluttered out in desperation, not wanting to loose his cool during this conversation. He had his pride to consider. But then again, in this situation, it was quite obvious that the pride of his speech was all he had left.

Yugi settled down and gave his reply, "Yes, very comfortable. You're very warm."

"Oh, good…" Hearing the telltale hums from him, Atemu guessed that Yugi had fallen back asleep. Well it _had _been a long night…

Deciding that he was still a bit tired, Atemu snuggled down and, keeping his arms stiff to his sides, he drifted off to sleep again.

It seemed to be only a few minutes later when he woke up again; minus the warm weight he had previously. Looking around, Atemu seen that the same warm weight had managed to get up and make his way to the chest in the corner, had slipped on some fresh clothes and was currently redoing his make-up.

Noticing that Atemu had woken up through the reflection of the mirror he was staring at, Yugi turned around and with a bright smile, wished the other person a cheerful good morning before returning to the application of kohl around his large eyes.

The Pharaoh blinked to wipe the sleep out of his eyes, ardently assuring himself that he was only going crazy before he stretched his arms lazily.

As Atemu stood up with the intention of cleaning himself up, Yugi halted him in his tracks by speaking to him again. "There's a basin of water and some fresh clothes over there by your jewellery and your pyramid thing and, if you want, I can do your make-up again."

"Thanks…" Atemu trailed off, the gratitude lacking in his tone as he moved away from his spot and away from Yugi's sight to get washed and changed.

Yugi's mouth formed a slight curve when he heard the splashes and all of the rummaging from behind him and he held back the giggles forming in his stomach.

The oblivious Atemu approached him and Yugi courteously offered the Pharaoh his stool in front of the mirror hanging from the wall and proceeded to comb the messy locks carefully into a curtain of straight black hair decorated with blond at the front.

"Do you want me to do your hair the same as before?"

Atemu, who wasn't particularly paying much attention at this point, gave a bemused noise before realising the question and nodding numbly.

Yugi ignored this and continued his work but Atemu didn't want to give up on the question in his mind and in the midst of his debate on whether on not he wanted to voice this question, he finally decided to just say it.

"Why were we in bed together?"

Yugi, not understanding if he had heard that correctly, bent down until his head was level with that of the Pharaoh's and, watching Atemu's reflection in the mirror, he said, "Excuse me?"

"W-well…it's just that… well… I was wondering you know…because we were in bed together and I know that it was probably just Seto that did it as a joke but…well, you don't really seem to shocked about it or… anything…"

"Am I supposed to be? I mean… is it…weird for you?"

"Well, it's not normal for one to be so… calm when they find themselves in bed with someone strange…"

"But you're not strange, you're my friend. And I dunno, I didn't think it was that big of a deal."

"Yes but we were in bed together!"

"And…?"

"And…and… it's the principle of the matter that's all!"

"Nothing happened, Atemu." Yugi spoke with complete finality as he walked away from where Atemu was stationed, having completed the styling of the elder male's hair, which was a wonder since Atemu didn't think they spoke long enough for it to be done so soon.

Returning to his side, Yugi began applying the rest of Atemu's facial make-up.

"Besides, you have other things to worry about. You have to perform at the next feast remember?"

He didn't actually. Atemu's mind was wandering far away from that particular point as Yugi's fingertips flicked lightly across his cheeks. Although one wasn't present, Atemu was sure there should have been a blush across his cheeks.

"So, what do you want to do?"

"Um, I'm not really too sure. What can I do?" Atemu inquired, gazing over his painted features in fascination in the mirror.

"Um…I'm dunno… let me think here…" Yugi tapped his chin and pondered whilst walking over to the chest and sitting on top of it. "Do you sing?"

"Somewhat…"

"Great! Then you can sing something… but that won't be enough because of you being a special guest and…things…" Yugi trailed off the statement with only the smallest hint of depression, which was easily passed off as disinterest in detail.

"Really… Well…what else will I have to do?"

Yugi thought about this for a moment longer than Atemu's impatience would allow and the Egyptian ruler stood from his seat and walked over directly in front of the cat boy, standing before him with arms crossed over his chest.

Yugi's oblivious response was, "You could probably get away with just one more act. Oh! I know! We can do a joint dance! That'll do! And… we can get Seto to play music for us!"

Atemu smirked and shook his head. "That'll be amusing to see…"

* * *

"Did you hear anything mutt?"

"Not over your sneezes, dummy…"

* * *

"So! Which one shall we start with first?" Atemu gave an ashamed shrug and Yugi decided, with a slight hint of frustration, that they would begin with the singing.

"Do you know any songs?"

"Only a few… but none that I can really remember too well…"

"In that case… how about a lullaby? They're simple enough to remember and perform. Like the one that Mai did last night!"

Realising that he meant the blonde singer, the one, if he recalled correctly, had small, flightless wings attached to her back and red and blue tattoos down her arms, Atemu nodded. Mai's performance had been rather spectacular.

"Let's see which one… um… Do you know _'The Lost Child'_?" Yugi asked, trying to get his accent of Atemu's native language right when pronouncing the title, instead of using the quiet and soft accent that he called his own. Atemu chuckled at the strange attempt and confirmed that he did know it.

"Good. I'll sing it first if you want me to." Yugi's voice shrouded his nervous disposition at the thought of such a thing, but when Atemu held no objections to it, he began the lullaby with great apprehension.

A shaky start was smoothed out finely as Yugi gently sang the three verses of the song that told of an aching mother searching for her lost daughter.

It was a short but sweet song. And Atemu was astounded at how well Yugi sang even though the understandable lack of confidence held back the true talent in his voice.

"You're a really good singer, you know." Atemu complimented, causing Yugi to pull an awkward face and scratch his cheek, ears twitching slightly.

"Thanks… All right! Now then, you can sing along with me this time."

"Okay." After that word was spoken, wonderful and harmonious voices sailed through the air, wasted on the empty world around, the peaceful world of honest and kind people.

But then again, such a world also held those dangerously naïve people…

* * *

"Adjo? Are you alright?" One of the guards, Akiiki, inquired as he stared at his companion, who was slumped against the wall and staring at the ground through gritted teeth.

The aforementioned one ignored the other inquisitive male and remained lost in his own thoughts.

Akiiki, sensing the mix of angry and confused emotions that swirled around the other male, moved towards him and gave Adjo a reassuring pat on the back. "Don't worry, we'll be out of here soon. Once that storm dies down. And then we can go home. Alright?"

Adjo merely growled at him and turned away, his hand seemingly growing itchy by his side.

Akiiki, thinking he had done well in cheering up his friend in just that single movement, gave a small smile and began walking off.

Adjo lifted his intensely blue eyes and stared at the departing guard with fierce and swift agitation. _It's a large village… everyone is wandering around, no one has counted the numbers… no one would really miss him…_

Pushing his hefty weight off the wall, he covered Akiiki's mouth with one hand and with the other, he pushed the guard around the side of the house they stood by, out of eyesight and, soothing the itch on his hand, Adjo grabbed the hilt of the knife at his side, pulling it out and slamming it straight into the guards chest.

That slickly speedy motion caused a muffled scream to erupt from Akiiki's mouth, his body thrashed around in panic for but a few moments and after several more stabs and a final wrench of the knife through the chest, Akiiki's body slumped against Adjo's.

Adjo gave a satisfied and relieved smirk, dusting over the only signs of a bloody fight with a kick of sand before he dragged the dead guard over to the edge of the city, pushing past a set of gates and facing the raw, unrestrained force of the sandstorm as it scratched his face before he threw the body into it.

Watching with warped fascination, he seen the body of the concerned guard being chopped up into ribbons within seconds before being swept away completely in the sea of twisted brown.

After pushing back through the barrier to the house again, he gave a huge sigh of blessed relief, pulling off the irritating black wig from his head and scratching the uncomfortable amount of make-up that covered a set of ghastly white scars.

The Thief King Bakura smiled as he watched the storm in the distance. "It won't be long now…" he muttered before readjusting his disguise and abandoning the scene.

* * *

Yes, there you are. Updated and all! I know it seems like a dreaded 'filler' but there is a purpose here! And since there was a surprising amount of people asking me to include Bakura into the story…well…there you are…Not exactly the most original entrance, ne?

Also, and I know this sounds a bit harsh but, for goodness sake please give me a break! I'm really busy with exams so people sending me _personal messages_ about when I'm going to update these fics, and about why I haven't updated recently and all of that should please just leave me be! I appreciate all of your dedication to my fics and Lord knows I do need to update more often, but stop pressuring me like that! It's okay to ask me to update soon in reviews, I'm fine with that, but sending me _personal messages_? I'm getting annoyed at it! I appreciate your comments but _not THOSE kinds of PM's._

Sorry if that seems mean and all, but I feel it needs to be said! Thanks for reading this and I hope you don't think any less of me for going on this rant.


	9. First Steps

Has it REALLY been THAT long since I last updated?? O.O;;

I'm SOOOO sorry about the wait. AS-Levels, driving lessons etc etc! No time for fun! But I'm finding little bits of free time… so now me can get back to the real important stuff! Fanfiction! Lol!

Disclaimer: Don't bother, me no own, simple as that!

Thank you EVERYBODY who reviewed since my last update! Unfortunately I don't have time to go through them all but anyone with any specific questions, I'll be glad to answer them! D

I came up with this chapter I think about a week after the last chapter but I was a bit dubious about putting it up… re-reading it I can see why! I hope it passes inspection! O.O;

* * *

**Chapter 9: First Steps**

* * *

_The truest expression of a people is in its dances and its music. Bodies never lie._

- Agnes George de Mille -

* * *

"_I don't want you to get hurt, when they won't be able to feel anything. It will mean nothing to them once they leave. "_

_"__I know that…but…"_

_"It's done. You cannot change what must be."_

_"I understand Elder. I won't get too attached… but… I still want to be friends with them."_

"_Hmm… fine. We'll settle on this. Maybe you'll learn from it…"_

* * *

Rubbing at his now aching throat, Atemu gave a few light coughs and fell back against the wall.

An impervious Yugi sat cross-legged on the ground, his tail smothering itself in dust as it swept across the floor. "Alright, I…think we're done on the singing part."

"Thank goodness… you think it's alright?" Yugi gave a kind nod and stood up to his full height, stretching his abused legs in the process.

"Right then, we're going to move straight on now to…"

* * *

It wasn't an unusual sight to see Jou and Seto walking side by side down the streets of Haruna, despite the fact that the two parties in question seemingly 'hated' each other.

The past few days in which they had been there had been two completely different experiences for both sets of people. For Atemu and Yugi, it was one of joy, intrigue and the occasional bout of embarrassment but for Seto and Jou…

"Will you quit following me, like the annoying pervert you are!"

Seto simply slipped behind the blond and wrapped his arms around Jou's neck, whispering carefully in his ear, "Oh, don't say you don't love it."

Jou silently thanked the gods that Seto couldn't see his face properly since it would reveal the huge scarlet taint upon those tanned cheeks.

Squeezing his eyes shut and batting away those pesky arms, Jou replied, "Quit that… And I thought High Priests were supposed to be celibate??"

Seto chuckled and shook his head in amusement following the blond down the street to the café that seemed to occupy most of their time.

Ordering their usual treats and taking their usual seats, the two dug into their food in silence, eyeing each other suspiciously throughout the meal.

In the middle of eating his apple, Jou suddenly sighed and dropped the fruit down on the table. Seto, pausing in the midst of his own handful of dates, asked the blond what was wrong.

"Nothing it's just… it's been a while since I've seen Yugi, I miss him…"

The dejected lowering of ears and the fact that the bushy golden tail hung limply now, caused a small sense of worry to spring within Seto's mind and he reached out a hand to Jou's head and buried his hand in the blond hair experimentally.

Jou blinked in curiosity but allowed this action to take place. Seto began scratching behind the blonde's ears, like he had seen Yugi do a previous time, which seemed to cause almost the exact same reaction.

The boy closed his eyes and leaned in towards the touch, pushing himself up onto the table and closer to Seto, which was greatly welcomed by the brunet. It wasn't until two golden ears picked up the sound of a half eaten apple rolling off the table and hitting the ground that Jou finally came to his senses and fell back against hit seat stiffly.

Seto merely blinked and settled back into his own seat, asking calmly, "Feeling better?"

This time the blush couldn't be hidden and Jou nodded in silent humiliation. After several moments of silence, the boy stared up at the High Priest and stated simply, with a lack of the angry vigour of before.

"Please don't do that again…"

Narrowing his eyes at the statement, Seto inquired as to why, only to receive a more excitable response from the blond, "Because Yuge is the only person allowed to touch me!"

With wide blue eyes, Seto found himself completely at a loss for words as Jou stood from the table and walked inside the café, almost knocking over the angry man who stood, painting the outside of the café.

Seto watched him walk away with an apprehensive expression on his face and scratched his own head. He wasn't exactly sure he had heard that correctly.

"Man! This watermelon is GREAT!!"

_Speaking of hearing._ Seto thought to himself as he turned around to the direction of the overly loud remark and noticed a group of four people sitting around another table nearby.

The one eating the watermelon was a short blond boy with strange whisker markings on his cheeks, cunning red ears and a number of tails flailing around behind him.

A young girl slapped him on the back of his head for being so loud, even though everything about the girl screeched in volume, with her short pink hair, the small golden horn jutting from her forehead and a tiny amount of white hair that closely resembled a tail shooting from her posterior.

The last two were two males, one an older looking man with spiky silver hair and matching grey ears and grey tail and his face covered in a navy blue mask, and the last one was a handsome looking young man with spiky black hair dressed in blue and white who was by far the strangest of the group.

Seto tilted his head and examined the raven-haired boy in confusion. The other three's 'extra features' were so obvious, but that boy's… there was nothing about him that was different… nothing at all…

"How strange…"

"What's strange?" By this time, Jou had returned with a fresh apple and had sat down at the table, obviously recovered from his earlier 'trauma'.

Seto however just couldn't keep his eyes off of the group and examined their conversations carefully, Jou following his example.

* * *

The blond boy dug straight into the luscious red and green fruit enthusiastically, much to the disgust of his female companion who awarded him with a large smack across his head.

The blond yelped and dropped his watermelon onto the table and held his wounded head, "Sakura!! What did you do _that_ for!!"

The vein on Sakura's head pulsated and her still clenched fists shook, "Because you have absolutely no manners around a lady, Naruto!"

Naruto shrunk back and away from Sakura in a panic, deciding to sit on the other side of the table beside the black haired male, Sasuke's, side in order to finish his watermelon in peace.

Sakura, taking the moment to edge closer to Sasuke, suddenly fingered the strange scarab bracelet, embellished with obsidian, around her wrist, "By the way Sasuke, I'd like to thank you again for this bracelet, it's really beautiful…"

Sasuke merely grunted and continued to sip his modest cup of water, uninterested. He had no idea why he decided to come all the way to this place with these people.

Naruto lifted his head, swallowing a huge chunk of watermelon and grinning at Sasuke, "Thanks for the watermelon too!!"

_Oh yeah, that was the reason_. Sasuke thought, grunting again and the now annoyed Naruto dug back into his watermelon.

The silver haired male, Kakashi, who was silently reading through a certain scroll, suddenly spoke up, "You know, some people call watermelons 'vampire fruit'."

Huge chunks of red flew onto the ground and Naruto stared wide-eyed at his teacher, stuttering wildly, "Vampire-fruit?!"

Kakashi suddenly looked up at the sky thoughtfully and rubbed his chin, "Yes, vampire fruit. You know, I wonder why they call watermelons '_water_melons'."

Once the notion had sunk into his mind, Naruto screamed at the top of his lungs and threw the fruit away, before grasping his throat, "THE WATERMELON HAS SUCKED ALL OF THE WATER OUT OF ME!! I'M GONNA DIE!! I'M GONNA DIE!! OH NO!! I'M GONNA TURN INTO A _VAMPIRE_!! SASUKE!! GIMME YOUR WATER!!"

Sasuke blinked, scoffed at the blond and showed off his now empty cup of water, which only resulted in more shrieks from Naruto.

"Then…then… I'LL JUST HAVE TO BITE IT OUT OF YOU!!" Baring his already sharp fangs, Naruto leapt towards Sasuke, who quickly jumped off of his seat and shifted away.

"Stop that, you idiot! Cut it out!" Naruto paid no mind to Sasuke's pleas and continued chasing the black haired boy who skilfully avoided him every time.

As Sakura frantically chased the two boys who quickly shuffled their way across the outside of the café, Kakashi merely continued reading the scroll, muttering loudly to himself, "Well…it's probably nothing really…"

* * *

Seto and Jou blinked as their eyes followed the two boys movements across the area.

Grinning inwardly, Seto stood up from his seat and made his way over to where the two boys now resided, the black haired boy standing above the blond who was sprawled on the ground, panting in exhaustion at his feet.

"Sasuke, don't be so heartless and give me some water!" Naruto pleaded, sticking out his tongue pathetically.

Sasuke groaned and kept his arms crossed across his chest, deciding to just buy the other boy a cup of water.

As he went to make a move towards the innards of the café, he suddenly found two arms wrapped carefully around his body and warm breath upon his neck.

Seto smiled brazenly when he found deep ebony eyes staring into his own sky blue ones, and the High Priest was amazed at the level of maturity and pain within them and also at how well he understood it all.

The sudden whispers in his ear made Sasuke turn an interesting shade of red as his entire body froze; his mouth gave a small, uncharacteristic squeak when he found a set of teeth gently scratching on his ear.

Naruto, Sakura and, by this time, Kakashi stood before the two in confusion and, mainly on Sakura and Naruto's parts, anger.

Jou, sharing the same sentiments, ran around the tables and stood beside the three strangers, "Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing!"

Seto turned and smiled casually to Jou as he rested his head on the still frozen Sasuke's shoulder. "Why, what's wrong?"

"You know exactly what's wrong! Is it not enough for you to traumatise me? Let the poor kid go!"

The blue-eyed one buried his face further into the boy's shoulder, whispering teasingly, "Jealous?"

"You would do well to listen to him." Seto was slightly surprised to hear the quiet voice of the raven-haired one speak to him.

"Let go… or else…" Sasuke turned to look at Seto, his eyes having shifted from casual obsidian to menacing red, burning intense flames through his irises.

_What the…?_ Seto instinctively let go and the boy's eyes shifted back to black and he walked over to his companion's who immediately began fawning over his welfare.

Jou ran straight to Seto's side and grabbed his arm, "Come on. I'm taking you out of here before you cause anymore damage."

Judging by his expression, Sasuke and Seto's private conversation had remained as such between the two of them, which suited the High Priest, as he wanted to keep his edge over Jou.

As he allowed himself to get pulled away, Seto chanced another fleeting look towards the odd looking group behind them, catching Sasuke's small backwards glance towards him.

His eyes flashed red again and he winked impishly at the departing brunet.

Seto could do nothing more than shake his head in disbelief as he followed the pup.

* * *

"What kind of dance should we do?"

Yugi pondered for a moment, scratching the base of his chin, his tail mimicking the motion from behind him.

"Well… I have an idea for one. It's not too tricky, but it does look great when it's performed exactly right!"

Atemu's eyebrow raised to the sky, "Really? What is the name of this dance?"

"It's something like 'gealach frithchaith' … or was it 'gealach cláraigh le'… I can't exactly remember the name, but I remember the dance! It went something like…"

Yugi placed a bare foot in front of him, spreading his arms out like wings before spinning around a few places to the right, moving his feet in a simple stomp and winding back again.

He began a slow dance made up of careful steps and twirling limbs, completely enrapturing the Pharaoh's attention.

It was an undemanding dance, but definitely effective.

Yugi stopped suddenly, as if in mid-dance and turned to Atemu. "Did you get all of that? That's not all of it of course but I just need to see if you understand it so far, so could you please try it yourself?"

Nodding his tri-coloured head, the Pharaoh placed out his foot in a tepid motion, slowly mimicking his companion's steps.

He felt his spirit swell as he watched the look on Yugi's face at his movements; it was unquestionably a look of pride.

"That was excellent, Atemu! I didn't think you'd remember it as well as you did! Let's both try it again!"

Atemu stretched out and shook his arms lightly and repeated the dance with Yugi joining him this time. Each time he looked at Yugi, he felt as if he was staring into his own reflection, and as their paces fell further in sync, this feeling grew.

By the time they had finished the first part, they had somehow ended up in front of each other with wide arms, as if waiting to fall into each other's embraces.

"This is going even better than I had expected, Atemu. Next step, and this is where it starts to get a little tricky. Now…"

Yugi presented to Atemu a huge variety of poses, which he followed as quickly as his inexperience would allow. Arms flicking and swaying in front of them, limbs daring to touch each other.

Sidestepping around each other, they captured each other's gazes and moved in a shy circle, never once losing this connection as their shoulders brushed together.

The crimson-eyed one let out increasingly deepening breaths, the violet-eyed youth doing the same, as they stood almost chest-to-chest.

Yugi's tail swished fiercely from side to side, as if sensing danger in this action but he paid no mind to this, or to the telltale sign of the darkened scarlet orbs before him, and continued their perilous steps.

Atemu twirled the boy in front of him and as his partner moved further away from him, his mind snapped.

He pulled the boy back roughly by his arm and tightly to his chest, leaving only room between them for their intermingling breaths to consume each other.

Yugi's eyes seemed slightly hazed but began to lift in confusion at Atemu's sudden action. "A-Atemu… w-what are you…"

The heavy voice before him validated his earlier insanity and any thoughts of stopping had left his mind as he allowed his lips to press harshly against Yugi's.

The cat-like boys ears reached for the roof and his eyes struggled to stay that wide without cracking.

It just a simple touch of lips; nothing more… nothing less…

Yugi found himself unable to move but even more worryingly, he found himself unable to consider moving.

Atemu pulled back suddenly, without warning, and Yugi quivered in disbelief.

The Pharaoh inwardly grimaced at this; he didn't think someone who was so nonchalant at the thought of sleeping on top of him would look so shocked at a quick kiss.

Shame suddenly coursed through him. "I'm sorry about that… I was…caught in the moment…"

Yugi swallowed hard and shook his head. "No! It's… quite all right, um… how about I get us a drink of water… I think we both need it…"

As the cat-like boy disappeared out of the door, Atemu briefly considered that they already had a jug of water in the room before he stumbled over towards a chair and dropped down upon it.

Holding his head in his hand and shaking it fiercely, he couldn't help the clichéd thought running through his mind.

What have I done…

* * *

IT'S AN UPDATE!! DUM DUM DUM! Thank you all for your support! (And for the lack of those " you'd better update soon" PM's) All you guys are SOO sweet! And yes I know the whole singing thing last chapter was really cliché but trust me, it'll ALL work out! xDD

My fave line in this has to be, "Yuge is the only one allowed to touch me!" (bursts out laughing) I couldn't leave it out! xDD

Also, I'm doing this challenge thing for…as long as it interests me! I was given five random things to include in the chapter:

1) Brain (Seto and Joey bit)  
2) Team 7 from Naruto ( xDD **Honestly **didn't see that one coming!)  
3) Glass (The Obsidian in the Scarab)  
4) Paintbrush (Er… the random guy painting the place)  
5) Watermelon (Naruto's watermelon! xDD)

I felt REALLY awkward putting in the Naruto crew into this but I decided to go for it since it kept me really interested in writing the chapter! But this is their ONLY appearance so, make it last! XD

So first five reviewers to give me something random to insert into the chapter will…uh… have a special place in this fic forever! XDD;


	10. Patient Progression

WOOOOO! Nearly 200 reviews! Ima so happy! This is great, I wrote this chapter the day after I got outta hospital so excuse it if it's a little... um... well, if it's there its there!

Disclaimer: See previous chapter, too lazy to think up something new

Author's comments: MORE ATEMUXYUGI, I SAY!! D

* * *

**Chapter 10: Patient Progression**

* * *

_Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves.  
_  
- Rainer Maria Rilke -

* * *

Atemu couldn't believe himself. He had just kissed Yugi. And Yugi, the young boy with catlike features who was being _unbelievably_ kind to him during his stay, had been utterly perturbed by the tiny gesture so much so that he had made a feeble excuse to escape from the awkwardness of the situation by getting drinks.

The Pharaoh was still confused, confused about whether or not he should be confused or not. After all, Yugi had been completely affectionate towards him the past few days so... had he really not expected this turn of events? Probably not, perhaps Atemu expected too much.

So, when Yugi returned from his water run, conveniently without the two cups of water, Atemu had a clear incentive to apologise for his earlier actions however he didn't get the chance to as Yugi smiled to him in an almost apologetic way himself.

"I think we've done enough work today, maybe we should take a break. We could go to the market again?" Yugi suggested hopefully and Atemu nodded, feeling as if he owed it to his little companion.

As Yugi stepped out of the spacious home, Atemu pondered on the fact that the boy was reluctant to grab his hand this time, but when he did, all of the Pharaoh's relief was tinged with that tiny pang of envy again as the ring that Seto had bought for him glittered on the pale and slender finger.

A silent resolve built in the Pharaoh's mind and he smiled warmly at Yugi, who in return gripped his hand tighter.

They walked through the long and clear pathway to the centre of the village, hand in hand in a delicate balance they travelled for a while before Atemu dared to lightly pull Yugi closer and closer until their shoulders touched and he took the initiative in freeing his hand and moving his arm to wrap around Yugi's shoulders.

Closing those gentle, plum coloured eyes, his tail swished indecisively, his face reflecting this as it contorted between joy and nervousness.

Atemu however, chose to focus in the former and he shook the boy's shoulders affectionately, creating the desired effect of reassurance and a tiny smile.

"What is your home like?" The small question was a shock to their fragile silence. "Can you tell me? This is the closest I've ever been to an actual Egyptian town. I'm curious."

"Well... to be honest... I'm not completely familiar with many cultures outside of my homeland, and since I've found this place, I've lost my sense of familiarity with my own home."

Yugi's face was the picture of distress, guilt and regret but Atemu shook his head knowingly. "Don't give me that look Yugi. It's not a bad thing that I've lost _that._ The moment I feel completely familiar with my own homeland, I may as well give up being Pharaoh."

Confused but accepting that Atemu was comfortable with his analogy, Yugi nodded and his smile widened as he led the somewhat foreign dignitary out of his house.

It didn't take them long to encounter trouble, the first sign being a terrified mouse-like boy scurrying past and the second being a supreme cry resonating throughout the area and once Atemu had identified the following string of curses as Seto's, the two spiky haired males made their way towards the familiar noise.

Of course, they found the said High Priest in the middle of the café that he seemed completely addicted to since he had first arrived in the village. However, Seto was soaked from head to toe and Jou stood by his side with an overly smug look on his face and an empty bucket in his hand, a bucket they were sure once belonged to the mousy boy.

Yugi and Atemu, still joined in a close embrace, stared at the two, the cursing brunet and the chuckling blond, as they both rushed towards them and they managed to gather a semi-coherent story from the crazy rambles.

"I burned my hand on a hot cup and I simply asked for some assistance."

"He asked me to suck his finger!"

"You're exaggerating! I merely asked for-"

"For some 'soothing relief' hence, THE BUCKET OF WATER OVER YOUR HEAD!!"

"MY FACE WASN'T BURNT, YOU STUPID MUTT!!"

"STUPID MUTT?! HOW ABOUT I RAM THIS BUCKET STRAIGHT UP YOUR-"

"ENOUGH!!" Atemu demanded, his authorial voice demanding silence. "I really don't care what happened, your voices are getting on my nerves at this point so shut it."

Yugi frowned as Atemu rubbed his temples soothingly. "You really threw a bucket of water over him, Jou?"

Jou grinned and threw his arm around Yugi's shoulders victoriously as Atemu and Seto delved into a 'snide comment and intense glaring' contest, "Yes and I tell you, it felt _good_!"

"But he was only teasing Jou. Apologise or do something to make it up to him. He really likes you."

"Do I have to?" Jou asked, his eyes widening cutely, pleadingly, but it was to no avail as Yugi's violet eyes narrowed into unnervingly thin slits.

"Don't even try it, Jou. Besides I was only _suggesting_ you do something nice for him, after all he's been treating you almost likewise everyday since he got here, but it's not like you absolutely _have_ to do it."

Yugi rolled his eyes but before he made his move to grasp Seto's uninjured hand, Jou beat him to the punch, throwing away the empty bucket and grabbing the blue-eyed man's wrist with a mumble of how immature the High Priest was being.

Yugi blinked slowly at how predictable his friend was and drawled out, "It looks like they're getting along better."

"Yes, Seto is acting rather... unusual, he seems happy." Atemu muttered with a certain flicker of happiness for his cousin, one, which Atemu would deny existed when he recalled these events later.

"Jou too."

"How can you tell?"

Yugi simply pointed to the 'couple' and Atemu followed the gaze to Jou's golden tail, which wagged in a frenzy in the air. "Well, that pretty much says it all."

"Yours flicks a lot?" Atemu added and the younger male turned to look at the swinging appendage.

"I'm usually happy, besides, you wouldn't want to see it flick _too_ much. Means I'm irritated." Yugi informed him, shaking his head and returning to Atemu's side, choosing to link arms with him and lead him after the High Priest and his companion.

They quickly reached the market place. It was still in the same circular position as the last time, around the deep divot in the centre of the village, which was usually used for their bonfires, or at least it had been the stage for it during the last feast day. The two couples parted ways, Jou leading Seto towards a salve stand and Yugi and Atemu agreeing to take an excursion to a stall containing numerous Celtic goods.

As he reached out to grasp a hefty statuette, there was a shining twinkle from Yugi's outstretched hand, beams of the sun reflecting in the jewel on his ring and Atemu considered again, in a jealous sort of way, that the ring was the one that Seto had bought him.

Atemu's nose twitched and he considered that perhaps a drop of oil in a gaudy glass vial was hardly a match for the large, expensive ring, so he casually led Yugi away from that stand and towards a different one, one filled with costly looking jewellery.

Yugi blinked and shrugged it off, staring at the glinting metals and pleading jewels with wide eyes.

Atemu grabbed an elegant silver headdress and he attached it expertly, "What do you think?"

He responded by grasping a golden mask with three glorious jewels embedded within it and held it to his face, "Very nice. What about me?"

Poking the strangely large jewel on the mask, he laughed, "Very bohemian."

It was in the midst of dropping their respective items that Yugi's eyes became locked onto the single necklace. Latched onto a thick golden chain was a teardrop shaped jewel, blue in colour.

Yugi analysed it carefully, noticing how irregularly small the gold border was in contrast to the sapphire and how uncompromisingly thick the chain was for the tiny and light gem but still, he was interested in it.

The merchant's eyebrow arched as he noticed the interest the catlike boy showed in the necklace.

"That's a rare item. I got this a while ago, from the far East."

"East? Really?" Yugi's spiking interest also piqued Atemu's curiosity as he silently witnessed the exchange.

"Indeed. If you'll notice..." The merchant's hands, clothed in fingerless gloves, went out and grasped the chain, allowing the tiny pendant to twirl slowly in the air. A number of small black symbols were burned onto the back of the gold.

"'_Thunderclap from a clear sky'_." Yugi spoke, turning to the confused Pharaoh with a soft look. "That's what it says, it's written in my language."

"You come from the Eastern provinces, my boy? Oh my! It is beautiful there, I was in the hidden village of Bao Zhen a while ago, what a place! But I wonder, what in the world made you want to leave?"

With a particularly dry smile, Yugi shook his head and placed the necklace back onto the counter. He bowed respectively and moved off towards a familiar, large eared albino's stall, leaving the Pharaoh alone with the jewellery merchant.

Impulse took over and, pulling out a few very valuable coins from the coin purse attached to his belt, the Pharaoh purchased the entrancing pendant and followed towards Ryou, who was attempting to promote a new type of dusty pink oil.

"... It's made of star anise and rosemary with a few drops of aloe vera. I use it to relieve stressed minds and to strengthen inner resolutions."

"Now _that's_ a fancy way to say 'it cures headaches'." Ryou gave an almost irritated grin at Atemu's clear-cut remark and leaned over the table towards him, his long white ears flopping lazily down the sides of his cheeks.

"Can you blame me for trying to spice up my sales pitch? The ingredients for my oils don't come cheap. Which reminds me! Will you excuse me for a second?" He muttered quickly as he disappeared behind the long, curtained off area behind him.

The two boys awaited his return. Long moments passed in awkward silence, neither male looking at each other. With a wary tone of voice, Atemu very carefully asked Yugi, "Why did you leave your home anyway?"

The boy visibly tensed, his ears giving a loud twitch before flattening down, "It wasn't by choice if that's what you mean..."

The Pharaoh's fiery eyes cooled in pity and he continued, "Do you miss it there? Only… you seemed rather... engrossed by that pendant."

Outside of Atemu's visibility, Yugi gave a sad smile. "It was just that... it made me feel… rather nostalgic... that's all."

The necklace in his tanned hand shuddered as Atemu clenched his fist, his other hand moving to grasp and squeeze Yugi's shoulder comfortingly. Yugi tilted his head and placed a smaller, sharper hand upon his.

The Egyptian ruler snuck the symbol encrusting jewellery into his coin purse to save for another time, a better time. He could be patient... if he wanted.

That was how Ryou found them when he returned with a small box in his hands. He looked away and a small smile on his face as he placed the box in front of them.

"I took a little excursion into the Forest of Cascades when I was last away and I _just_ got finished it this morning..." He opened the box dramatically to reveal a thin-necked vial, which enshrined a gloriously rich liquid that shimmered every shade of green imaginable.

"Wow... now that's impressive." A husky voice muttered as Jou approached the stall, a silent Seto following close behind.

Seeing how interested Jou was in this oil, Seto inquired about the price. Ryou clutched the bottle to his chest protectively and shook his finger at the High Priest, as if staring at a naughty child, much to Seto's annoyance.

"I'm sorry. It's not for sale. This is a one of a kind oil, made especially for my best customer." He turned to Yugi and smiled before replacing the bottle into the velvet box. "I call it the Cascade oil. Made especially for you to give you luck in your next performance tomorrow night, I'll be staying the next few nights _just _to see it."

Yugi clasped the box tightly in his hands, obviously touched by the gesture. "Thank you so much, Ryou. I hope I don't disappoint you."

Ryou shook his hand at him, "There's no way you could ever disappoint me, Yugi. But _him_ on the other hand..."

All three looked piteously at the blond boy who, quite literally, looked like a kicked puppy. Seto rolled his eyes, mumbling of Jou's idiocy as he reached out to ruffle the blonde mass before producing a perfectly shiny red apple from the basket under his arm.

The boy with the rabbit ears shrugged as Jou squeaked and grabbed the piece of fruit lovingly, "Well, as long as that man's around, I don't think Jou will be _too_ disappointed by _anything_."

Yugi pretended not to hear that remark, instead choosing to thank Ryou again for the oil and leading the party away. Ryou watched the two couples disappear into the market crowds again, chuckling slightly as he readjusted his stock.

Whilst distracted, a customer approached his modest stall, one that he recognised as being a guard of the Pharaoh's.

"What're you buying, stranger?" Ryou asked as he resumed his highly rehearsed pose as the supremely professional merchant of Haruna. Or something close to that effect.

The tanned face curved and a harsh smile made its way onto the strangers face. "Just browsing, my dear boy. Your unusual appearance has caught my eye."

Ryou's eyebrow raised cynically, "Really? I do hope that you mean that in the kindest possible way."

"But of course. I've noticed that you're the only person in this village with these particular features." The man muttered as he reached up to gently push back one of Ryou's soft, floppy ears with the same care as a lover would do to his partner's hair.

Ryou moved defensively at this contact, stepping backwards whilst his ears dared to prick up, reaching their full height and the strange guard laughed at the reaction, waiting for the albino's nose to twitch instinctively.

Gathering himself together and allowing his strained ears the luxury of relaxing against his head again, Ryou coughed and chuckled lightly.

"Well… My father theorised that it was due to my mother's dietary constraints and the favourable conditions of the environment around me during my conception."

The strange man's mouth gaped at the rehearsed speech, simply relying on the certainty of Ryou's tone to confirm that he was being told the truth. "Your family? I'll bet your mother wanted to call you Kalulu."

"I'm not sure, I've never met her." He mumbled out, causing a dangerous question to appear from the lips of the tricky guard.

"So then… can I take it that you're here _alone_?"

Ryou suspiciously thought about his answer and, even though he felt it was not the best idea to say so, he managed to blurt out another honest response. "Yes, but that's because I'm a traveller by nature. I come to these colonies simply as a merchant, I'm not really a part of any one in particular."

The guard considered this for a moment and then moved closer to the boy, or as close as he could with the bench of the stall between them. "I can relate, I consider myself a 'traveller by nature' as well."

The boy with the unusual ears tilted his head. "I wouldn't have thought that you'd have that luxury, being a guard to the Pharaoh... sir"

The guard gave an eerily wide smirk and muttered, "You'd be surprised. And... Please don't call me 'sir' it makes me feel like an old man."

"Oh, I'm sorry...then... what do you want me to call you?"

The guard smirked and reached across the bench to wrap his arm around the boy's waist, the bare skin of his tanned arm being tickled by the fluffy tail of the bunny boy as he stroked the paling Ryou's cheek tenderly.

"How about... Bakura."

* * *

Aww... almost cute! And Bakura is back in the action again, what's he gonna do this time??

O.O; So many big words… but um… this chapter does have some important… if slightly redundant… elements so watch out for them later! XD

Okay! My five random things for this chapter were... well three, I only got three xD;

1) Aloe Vera by Atemu Yugi Lover34 (O.O; This... was tricky... so I lazily put it in Ryou's oil!)  
2) A bucket of water over someone's head by my religious follower, Protector of the Nameless (I love you for putting this in, it gives me an excuse to soak Seto! xD)  
3) A reference to The Merchant from Resident Evil 4 just for the laugh! (The, 'What you buying, Stranger' thing by Ryou)

Don't forget to review! Or else I'll talk like this "ZOMG GIMMEH MOAR REVEWZ NAO PLZ!!"

……… that actually pained me… Dx


	11. The Black Descent

OVER 200 REVIEWS??? Thank you so much guys! ^^ And don't worry I haven't forgotten this fic! I've been working on further chapters and I'm almost done so har har

This chapter is dedicated to my loyal 200th reviewer **taintedmoonx**! Thanks so much! ... especially for reminding me... o.O

**Disclaimer:** See previous chapters, too lazy to think up something new xD

**Author's comments: **MORE ATEMUXYUGI, I SAY!!! D=

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**  
Chapter 11: The Black Descent**

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_It is vain to say human beings ought to be satisfied with tranquility; they must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it._

- Charlotte Bronte -

* * *

In retrospect, it was probably not the best idea to even talk to that man but for Ryou, all he could do was feel regret.

For now, he felt strangely paranoid as he walked towards one of the local inns. His eyes shifted from side to side and he grasped the slightly hefty supply of goods in his bag warily.

"_You are an expert at mixing these oils, are you?"_

"_I'd like to think so, Bakura..."_

"_Well...could you make me a specific oil? I've always liked the scent of... I think it __was...__Wintergreen?__**"**_

Ryou was rather confused, terrifyingly confused, as he thought of that casual sentence and the fact that he was asked to mix a rather... dangerous oil. A rather... poisonous oil.

He couldn't tell whether or not the guard, Bakura, knew of this fact but he managed to try and subtly avoid the subject, which had worked up until the guard began those... _seductive_ little _stroking_ motions on his cheek...

He shook his head and quickened his pace, as he felt his cheeks burn in remembrance of earlier touches.

Sighing, he turned the corner and stopped in front of the door, shaking his head as he moved his hand.

It probably meant nothing to that man, other than a moment of entertainment at Ryou's expense, and Ryou was indeed aware that he did over think things a _little_ too often.

Sighing, he moved inside the brightly lit inn at the end of the night, deciding to forget about his little episode of harassment.

However, from only a short distance away, Bakura watched him enter the inn with interest, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He considered the boy's _talents_ along with his close relationship with Yugi who, in turn, had a close relationship with the Pharaoh.

"He could be useful to me..."

Bakura considered this carefully as he walked away.

* * *

Things progressed quickly, far too quickly than either could have anticipated. Tonight was the night, the night of the feast.

The dance steps were prepared, the singing notes were... _somewhat_ perfected and they stood, that morning, in front of each other with proud stances... when it happened.

"Oh... no... _WAY_!!"

Atemu nearly leapt out of his skin at that sudden exclamation from Yugi.

The younger male swirled around, glaring at the wall with crossed arms and, most interestingly, his tail was flicking back and forth, not as it normally did of course, but it was literally slicing through the air.

Atemu vaguely recalled Yugi saying something about his anger, and he certainly was quite put off by the irritated gestures, but he still persisted, reluctantly putting his hand on that tense shoulder and squeezing it reassuringly.

"What's the matter?"

Yugi turned to Atemu seriously, his eyes closed and teeth gritting so much that his fangs dared to puncture his dainty lips.

"Remember I said we were _going _to get Seto to do music for us..."

With an almost equally irritated tone, he replied "Vaguely why-"

Yugi nodded slowly and encouragingly, and Atemu groaned, slapping his head, "I see."

"We were so caught up practising that we kind of... forgot to ask."

"Somehow I don't think asking would have been enough for _him_." Atemu murmured, cautiously noting the sudden turns of that angry, white tail.

It stopped suddenly and Atemu stared into Yugi's grinning face. "Well... maybe... we can get some _help_."

* * *

Early morning, and Seto and Jou were, obviously, at that damned café. Full breakfasts were laid out in front of them, from fruits and breads to the occasional slap of meat which was quickly chewed on.

Seto sat, his elbow leaning against the table and his hand leaning against his fist, and watched with an interested smile as Jou quickly chewed his breakfast and eyed the two apples sitting teasingly at the side of the table.

Shaking his head, he picked up a slice of deliciously smelling bread, complete with freshly churned butter and took a bite out of it, a moan of appreciation escaping him.

Jou was surprised by this and stopped his conquests in order to stare up at the High Priest, "You really like that bread?"

Seto shook his head graciously as he swallowed his bites, "Doesn't taste anything like this back at home."

"Well...Don't quote me on this, but I think that bread and butter is made in the traditional Irish way. _Not_... Egyptian." Jou informed him as he grasped a twin slice of that bread.

"Irish?"

"Mm-hmm. We used to live there, a long time ago. Rainy place. Gorgeous, but it rains nearly _all_ the time." Jou shook his head. "We've some good memories there."

"Why did you leave?"

Jou shrugged. "Needed a change. Might go back there someday."

"Really? Anytime soon?" Seto sounded quite nonchalant as he said this and Jou had to use all his willpower to control his embarrassed smile.

"Well... Maybe not _too_ soon..."

Seto had to take another monstrous bite from his bread in order to quell any humiliating noises or facial expressions from popping up.

As they sat in a comfortable silence, occasionally exchanging small, knowing glances at each other, they were suddenly approached by two familiar tri-colour haired teens, who occupied the two seats between them.

"Hey Yuge, what's up?"

Yugi smiled sweetly at him, hunching over the table. "Not much, we just got finished our practises for tonight."

Seto blinked in confusion, as did Jou but the wolfish teen managed to make semblance of the statement. "Tonight? Oh yeah, the feast tonight. I completely forgot."

"There's another feast tonight?"

Atemu answered Seto's question, "Yes there is. They have _three_ feasts whilst these winds occur."

"Yes, tonight celebrates the 'Embalming of the Heavens'. It's rather important, so you _visitors _are lucky to be _here_ to see it."

In truth, it was Yugi who was lucky that Jou actually got the message as those golden ears lifted to the heavens. "Oh... crap... Yuge! _He_ hasn't prepared _anything_ for this!"

Seto blinked as Jou yelled and pointed at him. "Visitors have to take part in the feast! It's a rule!"

"What!? Why didn't you tell me this before!?" He lunged forward, hands slamming down on the table in fury.

His movements were mimicked by Jou. "You'd think I'd want to forget something like_ that_!? Besides I have to figure out something to do too, so shut up a second while I think!"

"I think we'll have to wait a hell of a lot longer than a second for you to think of something!"

"What do you mean by that?! Why I ought to-"

"Excuse me."

"WHAT?!"

Yugi blinked as the two furious faces suddenly turned to him, watching the veins on their forwards twitch in response to his timid interruption.

"Okay... so there's that... Anyway! _We_ know something you can do."

"Really?" Jou leapt forward, practically sitting on Yugi's lap as his tail swished excitedly.

"Yeah..." He murmured, shifting his eyes across the table to stare at the narrowed ones of Atemu. "Well, myself and Atemu are doing a dance and some singing so you could play music for us, you and Seto."

He turned to the High Priest who blinked slowly, cringing as he was suddenly elbowed in the side by his Pharaoh. "Yes Seto, you can play the harp can you not? That'll suit our dance."

"Especially if you play your flute too, Jou."

"You play the flute?"

"You play the harp?"

Yugi and Atemu exchanged grins before one of the two stated joyously, "Great! We'll meet up with you just before the feast to practise, okay?"

"Right... speaking of practise." Jou murmured as he rushed around the table and grabbed the High Priest by the wrist. "We gotta go get some things sorted."

As they danced away from the table, the two remaining men shook their heads and laughed. "That was easier than I expected."

Atemu instinctively reached for one of the two apples still sitting precariously on the table, only to be stopped by the manicured nails of Yugi.

"No... just no..."

He blinked suddenly, only to find the puppy's two tanned hands suddenly slip in underneath theirs, grab the apples and vanish again.

"He really loves apples..."

"Too much so I think..."

* * *

"That was quicker than I had first expected." Atemu murmured as they escaped from Jou's home after a particularly short practise session with Seto and Jou.

"Yeah, we were lucky that Mai was able to lend him that harp."

"There seems to be more to _that_ story."

Yugi chuckled as he lead Atemu towards his home. "Mai and Jou had a... _thing_. But that was a long time ago, nothing really came from it."

"That's too bad. But... at least Seto's there for him now."

Shaking his head with a smile, Yugi was glad that he had the distraction of opening the door as they finally reached his home. Once they were sure that Tau was not home, they went into Yugi's room to prepare for the upcoming event.

Moving across the room and grasping two sets of clothes, they placed them on carefully. They snapped on different pieces of jewellery onto their arms, necks and ankles and then moved to apply all of the different levels of make-up, the two finished and examined each other approvingly.

Yugi smiled and bounced away to the chest in the corner to pull out a familiar bowl and an even more familiar vial of red oil which danced every which way around the glass.

"I think this is a special enough occasion to use this." He said as he shook the Sunrise Oil slightly and left it on one side of the stone bowl as he moved back to the chest and pulled out the black box containing Ryou's special Cascade Oil, placing that vial on the other side of the bowl.

Atemu knelt beside Yugi as the catlike boy examined the two vials carefully. "They can be mixed together, they have complimentary ingredients."

It was at that moment that he lurched forward, opening and then grasping the two oils tightly before carefully, _so very carefully_, pouring them into the bowl together, one more than the other as he found the perfect balance between the two.

Atemu watched in unperturbed fascination as the oil, which glittered every green imaginable, was swallowed by the immense sheen of the oil that glowed like the sunrise.

And as Yugi's hands stretched out to manipulate the waves of scents as they flew past their noses, Atemu couldn't help the thought that it was like a forest fire, the red oil overwhelming the great green of the Cascade Oil as light smoke rose from the bowl.

It was sensational. His mind felt light, dizzy in bliss and he closed his eyes, smiling as he took deep breaths.

He silently embraced the mass of pleasurable sensations around him, from the simple scent of the oils, to the feel of the air wisping and warping around him and the taste in his mouth, strangely reminiscent of wax or something to that effect. But that wasn't all that he felt.

Yugi's hands had retracted, one sneaking around to wrap around Atemu's. They both cracked open one eye, smiling as they allowed themselves to be lost in each others warmth.

* * *

Flute music soared through the air, cutting past thin strings and light harp music as Atemu and Yugi's dance escalated towards its greatest point, their bodies swirling and twirling rhythmically as they dared to brush against each other, the flames from the bonfire behind them choosing to ignite their passionate and flavoured steps further as they joined hands and swayed.

For some reason, their emotions had flared ever since Yugi had pulled out those oils and both were strangely suspicious by the insanely wide grin from Ryou.

This feeling increased, ironically enough, when their dance ended in a wide flourish of frantic plucking, loud wailing and grand, enthusiastic steps.

Clapping and cheering erupted from all those who sat in front of them, the impressed and delighted villagers were awed, partly by the dance and partly by the fact that the Pharaoh, great and mighty ruler of all of Egypt, had danced especially for them.

The four stepped forward and bowed before their audience and Yugi shifted his eyes to the side to stare at Tau who clapped solemnly from his perch, giving Yugi a serious look.

Shaking his head, the boy with the catlike features resumed his smile and pushed Jou and Seto back with him towards the musical instruments.

"Don't worry, you'll do fine." Atemu nodded at the departing whisper from Yugi as he moved away.

He stepped forward, staring at all the crowd of animalistic people with the calm, proud dignity a Pharaoh ought to have.

He stared down at his puzzle and the arms which were folded over his stomach. Closing his eyes slowly, he took a deep breath before he opened them carefully.

And then he froze.

Yugi, who sat comfortably on his knees beside Seto and Jou, narrowed his eyes in confusion at this apparent case of stage fright.

But Seto was the only other person there who seen past this case and the Millennium Rod, which was stashed carefully in his belt, glowed in apparent irritation at the sight directly in front of Atemu.

And it was in that moment that a flash of blue light bridged straight towards the Pharaoh, who made an impressively swift, almost rehearsed, movement backwards.

Landing on his knee on the edge of the sandy pit, Atemu stared back into the crowd, a look of fierce determination on his face, eyes glinting brighter than the flames that soared dangerously behind him.

But the ferocity of the gaze was lost on all but one person outside the pit, the person who had launched that attack with a homicidal glare.

"Bakura!" Atemu hissed as that man easily leapt across the crowd... and dove straight towards him...

* * *

OH NOES!!! IT'S BAKURA!!! WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!! Dx

Awesomeness! XDD I wrote this chapter a few weeks ago to be honest (Oops) but ah well, anyways, hope you enjoyed and stay tuned because all hell breaks loose next chapter! Ha ha! xD


	12. Spellbound and Locked Down

I wonder if I could get 300 reviews on this fic... hee hee, help me make my dream come true! ^^

**Disclaimer:** Allen Walker stole my rights to anything, darn him and his awesome hair and arm and eye and all xDD

**Author's comments: **Eh? Not much to be honest here, just remembered I had to update ha ha

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**Chapter 12: Spellbound and Locked Down**

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_Our mistakes don't make or break us - if we're lucky, they simply reveal who we really are, what we're really made of.__  
_  
- Donn Moomaw -

* * *

In another time, another place, perhaps a battle between he and the devilish Tomb Robber would be welcome. A chance to finally settle the score and to bring peace, or destruction to the globe.

But at that precise moment, in the middle of a village of unsuspecting villagers who had purposely sealed themselves away from civilisation in an effort to maintain their self-preservation, a battle was out of the question.

Unfortunately, as Atemu found from the sudden lunge of Bakura as he leapt straight from the crowd, his hands glowing a deadly black-blue, he didn't have a choice in the matter.

His puzzle lit up, glowing a great and pure gold as it sent waves across his body, a barrier against the attack that was yet to come. And it did.

Striking that barrier and exploding into fireworks around them and they stood at a standstill, eyes glowing and fists clenched.

Neither spoke, allowing the crackles of electricity in their lungs to speak for them and they launched at each other in a myriad of gold and blue which quickly shifted into every colour of the spectrum in their collision.

Sparks and bombs of light flew from them as their fists collided in waves of energy, but as they were both too busy to care about the aftershocks, Seto 'kindly' manipulated his own powers through his Millennium Rod to create a dome like shield around the pit.

Luckily for him he didn't need to hold the golden staff in his hand in order to use it, as his hands were already completely occupied with holding the wrists of Jou and Yugi, the latter of whom seemed ready to leap forward and tear apart Bakura for daring to attack his precious Pharaoh.

But Yugi was rendered immobile by that arm and all he could was watch, heart breaking in fright and worry as Bakura sent slices of energy at Atemu to which he responded with similar warps of power.

It was frightening in its strength, yet... beautiful. It looked almost choreographed as they moved, twisting in mists of colour and strength, it was truly extraordinary in its wonder.

So much so that Yugi wasn't completely sure that it was an actual attack, until his keen ears twitched in horror at a particularly pained grunt came from Atemu.

Surrounded by a dome of Shadow Magic, the two warriors glared down at each other in the world created for only the two of them.

"What are you doing here? How on earth did you-"

"Let's not worry about details, Pharaoh. Not when I'm about to kill you."

Biting his lip with the steeliest glare he could muster, Atemu responded. "Like you could. I'll beat you down long before you even get the chance."

"I'm so sure you could, Pharaoh, with those pathetic flashes you call attacks. You're holding back on account of these pathetic fools around you, me on the other hand..."

His arms flared with power as the Shadows around dissipated. "I couldn't care less if I clip a few wings or-" And he stared towards the forms of Yugi and Jou as they suddenly became clearer. "- cut a few tails."

"You sick bastard..."

And they began again.

Seto stared at them from his position on the ground with a solemn glare, having already noticed the lack of action and he made his own move.

In a move that could only be described as being only a split second long, the barrier around the pit glowed and shattered like fragile glass all the pieces suddenly shifting and flying straight towards Bakura's body.

Immediately the albino screeched, leaping in the air and swirling around in a tornado of Shadow Magic, destroying the fragments that flew at him. It was a pathetic attack but it was enough for a distraction and he realised it all to late as Atemu, surrounded by intense, righteous flames leapt towards him like a Phoenix from the ashes.

And an explosion of light blinded all around them, there were many gasps, screams and yelps from everyone around and then...

Silence.

Nothingness.

And the world came into colour again.

The entire community stared between the Pharaoh, who now stood alone in the pit, and the sudden snowfall of lights.

Horror was etched onto everyone's face, none more so than Atemu's in anticipation of the sudden bombardment of questions. But they never came. After a few moments, someone finally moved and Atemu recognised the shaggy figure.

Tau had the twin persona's of a lion and a bear, and even more authority and strength than the two combined. Which was lucky, considering the situation.

As the tiny fireflies fell to the ground like a light rain in the silent night, Tau stood to his feet, clapping his paw-like hands together with a loud smile, one which encouraged the rest of the crowd to clap, albeit reluctantly at first.

"Bravo, bravo! What a magnificent _magic act_!"

"'Magic Act?'" Atemu repeated, blinking with confusion which quickly quelled at the knowing look from the leader of the village and he played along, bowing obliviously and momentarily forgetting the thief... if only for a moment.

The people looked to each other and slowly clapped in confusion but the the persuasiveness of Tau's voice, of Atemu's grin and of the rest of the crowd's growing applause, spurred them on and they fell into the lie, although a few seemed rightfully unconvinced.

Atemu's eyes slyly moved to look towards Seto who nodded and moved off, releasing Yugi and Jou as he subtly escaped to made contact with the Chief of Guards.

Yugi immediately darted from his spot, ignoring the sudden pain in his arm from where he was held down, and he lightly grasped Atemu's own arm, leading him away from centre stage with a slightly forced smile.

They ducked away through the crowds, leaving Jou alone to clear away the instruments for the next act, not caring that Jou would be left alone for a few, very awkward moments with Mai. But that didn't matter to Yugi as he dragged Atemu to the royal man's seldom used room in the central inn.

Moving upstairs quickly, Yugi tore open the door to the room, immediately moving to the window in the room that dared to overlook the centre of the village and shutting it firmly.

It was at that moment that he turned to stare at him with the most serious expression Atemu had ever seen on him.

"What- was _that_? Who was that guy?"

Atemu sighed and tried to think of a plausible explanation, one that wouldn't worry the boy further but in considering the look on his face and the events of only a few moments, he couldn't think of anything decent.

"His name is Bakura. He's a criminal."

"A _criminal_?"

"Yes. He's attacked me before, back in my home."

Yugi registered this in horror, his face morphing into complete mortification. "You _brought_ a _criminal..._ _here..._ _with _you. Oh no..."

"I have no idea how he got here... How he managed to-" He broke off into a sigh, a frustrated, angry sigh. "I'm sorry. I'll stop him, don't worry."

Turning to Yugi, he was startled to see the boy standing there, features frozen with his hand over his mouth, almost ready to throw up.

Slowly, Atemu grabbed him by his upper arms and led him down to sit on the large mat still carefully arranged on the floor.

"This isn't good... this is so very, very bad..." Yugi mumbled to himself, clinging to those few words as he rocked back and forth in Atemu's loose grip.

The Pharaoh rubbed those arms soothingly and pulled Yugi as close to him as he could, ignoring the tiny thought in his mind that this was a bad idea in favour of trying to comfort him.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of things."

Yugi shook his head, and he surprised both of them, as he placed slender fingers across his face in a pained gesture, tears slowly falling down his cheeks.

"Atemu, you don't understand. I... I like you."

He blinked and replied blandly. "I like you too."

Shaking his head with a sad, choked laugh, he responded. "No, no... I really like you... Atemu..."

Tilting his head upwards, he pressed his lips to Atemu's. A simple, chaste kiss exaggerated using the pressure of desperation and pain.

Atemu broke it fiercely, pulling him away. "Do you really? Or are you just..."

"No... I have for a while now... but I... you're going to..." He broke off with a startled choke and shook his head, fists automatically going to the white shirt and pulling it closer.

Shaking his head and swallowing his sobs, he began again, "You're hurt."

That clawed finger stretched out and poked his arm and the Egyptian cringed and groaned as he suddenly felt a pain shake from his wrist to his shoulder.

Atemu looked at his arm as the pain reclined, it looked perfectly fine, the same bronzed skin covered in thick gold bracelets. Perfect. Except...

He grabbed that arm with his other hand and twisted it around, wincing as he felt more pain hit him but at least now he knew why.

A long cut, an unnoticed after effect from one of Bakura's attacks, stretched along the back of his arm only available to Yugi's eyes through the close hug.

"At least it's not bleeding... well not anymore."

Yugi's crying had been reduced to sniffles at this point and he moved Atemu's arm gently upwards, manoeuvring himself around and leaning forward, licking the wound from top to bottom.

Atemu shivered at the contact but he didn't stop it, instead moving his hand to gently caress those soft, white ears with his thumb.

"You sure you're not part vampire?"

Yugi laughed as he lowered his head, bringing it back up again to stare into those bright red eyes of Atemu's.

"Wouldn't that be fun... but who wants to live forever?"

"Maybe it would be... more bearable if... you had someone with you."

Yugi smiled and leaned back into that touch, even though it was tinged with sadness. "Like you?"

Atemu smiled back, not noticing this melancholy. "If you wanted me."

Laughing breathlessly, Yugi leaned back and pulled their lips together again, throwing his hand behind Atemu's head as the Pharaoh kissed him back, hands wandering from around his frame to underneath the slight clothing, rubbing every part of that skin with the feverish desperation of a doomed man.

And as he was lowered to the ground properly, allowing himself to enjoy the comfort of Atemu's weight upon his body and rough but skilled hands sailing across his bare torso, Yugi made a decision.

For his tears, the fears and the sadness that continued to erupt from the soul, Yugi would only show at that moment, it would be the only time he would allow himself to cry in front of him. And he would continue to allow Atemu to believe that these tears were down to fears over the thief, he would not let on to the other fears that echoed in his mind.

Finally wrapping his arms around Atemu again, he kissed him back. And allowed himself to become lost to the pleasures of the flesh.

* * *

Bakura had watched the applause with a sickening look on his face as he turned away from the crowd, limping through the catacombs of the village with increased vigour.

_'Those... damn guards will be after me soon...' _His mind considered as he reached the place of his choice, sneakily dislodging the window with all of his expertise and slinking through the small hole in the wall.

Closing the window again and slumping with his back to that wall, he waited a few moments with baited breath as hefty footsteps passed by behind him.

He gave a sigh as the steps finally died down, clutching his injured side as he moved to one of the two tables in the room, grabbing random items along the way and setting them down.

Tentatively, he dipped a towel into a bowl of ice cold water and moved it to his side, removing his shirt and drying all the bloodstains from the wounds in his torso and leg.

Wincing and hissing at the sensations, he wished with all his heart that he had healing abilities in his arsenal at this point as he fell to the floor again.

A light suddenly echoed across the dark room, coming directly behind him as he smirked and harshly wiped his side a final time.

With a low smirk, eerily glinting in the candlelight, he turned around and stared at the boy standing in the doorway.

"Hello again, Kalulu." He murmured almost sinisterly.

Before the scream could erupt from that terrified mouth, Bakura leapt forward, kicking the door closed as he wired his hand around that mouth and fisted the other into the mop of feathery light hair.

His mouth widened even more, his face seeming to almost split apart as he smirked, leaning forward and tickling those long ears with his giddy breath.

"I have an offer you simply _cannot_ refuse..."

And Ryou felt genuine fear flow down his spine for the first time in his life.

* * *

Er... generic villagers are completely oblivious to ancient Egyptian laser beams... xDD

Hah! So, Bakura has launched his first attack, Yugi and Atemu have FINALLY decided that they're ready for a um... closer relationship and something very suspicious is happening between Tau and Yugi! Hmmm... what to do, what to do...

Review please! XD


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